Rod

he Bre olp

1876

The Crying

Sp
r ide

The Fal l

Odilon Redon
[ 1840-1916 ]

1865 1880 1881

Me l

in sd
choly n a

Angel n e

1882

Distribute The r o fC

Virgi n

1878

e Buddh Th

Str

gle g u

Betwee n

1890

Eyes d se lo

1912

h Flowe rs

trait of Ys r o

lt Fayet u e

d wit a He

1907

1910

1911

The Cyclops

1908

als of the m i S An

hid Orc s

taur en

1905

s wn ro

1894

he of t Da

Spirit W a ter s

n w

man and C Wo

1914

parition Ap

ea

Color Palette: Analogous Harmony

R: 248 G: 255 B: 187 C: 3 M: 0 Y: 27 K: 0

R: 232 G: 221 B: 170 C: 0 M: 4 Y: 27 K: 9

R: 255 G: 235 B: 200 C: 0 M: 8 Y: 22 K: 0

R: 232 G: 194 B: 170 C: 0 M: 17 Y: 27 K: 9

R: 255 G: 65 B: 46 C: 0 M: 75 Y: 82 K: 0

History
Odilion Redon was a French artist and painter who lived from 1840 to 1916 and was considered to be one of the outstanding figures of Symbolism. Throughout the entirety of his life, his work focused on mythical and symbolic images that defied classification. Almost the entirety of his early work was done in black and white, in charcoal and lithography, known as his Noirs. In 1890, however, he began using color to further develop his subject matter that focused on the intersection of reality and dreams. From 1900 onward, he focused exclusively on colored works expanding his mediums to oil and pastels. With this shift to color, he also began to incorporate new subject matter such as flowers and landscapes into his symbolic and religious paintings. Regardless of this transition, Redons work still maintained the almost haunting juxtaposition of color and texture against dream-like images that played on the idea of an ever-expanding imagination.

Design Process
With this idea of the boundaries of the human imagination, I wanted to represent his lifework in a very fluid and dynamic way. Much like his paintings, I did not want to enforce a lot of structure or rigidity into the project, which is why I chose the wavering, more free-form style for the timeline. I also saw the timeline as a representation of the human imagination, moving freely and without much direction. For notable works, I added a set of misaligned and colored circles around the image, which draws the viewers attention to these pieces and also fits within the fluid yet modern design. I also chose to use a dotted line between works and the years both because I think it added texture and depth to my image and again, because it reinforces a less structured state of mind. For the years of each work, I chose to create something that resembled a pin on a map that would bring together all of his various works. Using the accented red color was also important because it brought the viewers attention to the chronology of his work. Finally, I chose to work with a warm analogous harmony because I wanted to use colors that would complement all of his work, from his Noirs to his vibrant floral landscapes. These colors also bring a more modern, contemporary look without overshadowing the complex and dream-like theme of his paintings and drawings.

Typeface
I chose the Futura typeface for my design. I also used it in the Condensed Extra Bold form, as seen in the titles of this page for added emphasis. I wanted a simple, sans serif font that also was not too structured or simplistic in order to complement the modern but fluid style of his work and my timeline.

References
Hobbs, Richard. "Odilon Redon (French, 18401916)." MoMA.org. Oxford University Press, 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. Pioch, Nicholas. "Redon, Odilon." WebMuseum. N.p., 16 July 2002. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.