The Book of Light (1893)

Technique: Giclée quality print
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More about this artwork

Odilon Redon's 1893 masterpiece, "The Book of Light," captures a hauntingly introspective scene that resonates with ethereal and mysterious qualities typical of his work. This beautifully subdued lithograph features the profile of a woman engrossed in reading a luminous book. The glow of the book illuminates her face, casting gentle reflections that suggest a profound engagement with the text. Redon's use of chiaroscuro enhances the mystical aura, focusing the viewer's attention on the interaction between light and shadow.Redon's artistry lies in his ability to evoke emotion through minimalistic yet powerful strokes, rendering the woman's features with a delicate finesse that borders on the surreal. The dark background contrasts starkly with the soft, radiant light of the book, creating a visual metaphor for enlightenment and knowledge obtained through literature. "The Book of Light" invites viewers to ponder the deeper layers of understanding and the introspective journey one embarks upon through the act of reading.

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Odilon Redon was a French symbolist painter, printmaker, draughtsman and pastellist. Early in his career, both before and after fighting in the Franco-Prussian War, he worked almost exclusively in charcoal and lithography, works referred to as noirs. 

During the 1890s he began working in pastel and oils, which quickly became his favourite medium, abandoning his previous style of noirs completely after 1900. He also developed a keen interest in Hindu and Budhist religion and culture, which increasingly showed in his work.

He is perhaps best known today for the "dreamlike" paintings created in the first decade of the 20th century, which were heavily inspired by Japanese art and which, while continuing to take inspiration from nature, heavily flirted with abstraction. His work is considered a precursor to both Dadaism and Surrealism.