Symbolism
1880–1910Art as portal to dreams, mythology, the unconscious. Color freed from representation to serve mystical vision.
Moreau's jewel-encrusted surfaces. Redon's pastels on black paper. Personal, anti-naturalistic palettes.
Gustave Moreau
1826–1898French
Painter of mythological visions with jewel-encrusted surfaces. His studio became the Musée Gustave Moreau.
Built up thick, encrusted surfaces with palette knife — gemstone-like texture. Gold paint and metallic pigments.
Further reading: Gustave Moreau: History Painting, Spirituality, and Symbolism — Peter CookePigments: Ultramarine · Cobalt blue · Lead-tin yellow · Ochre · Gold leaf · Vermilion · Madder and the red lakes · Sienna · Malachite · Emerald green · Viridian · Cobalt violet · Lead white · Zinc white
Odilon Redon
1840–1916French
Master of the dreamlike. Early noir charcoals gave way to explosions of pastel color — flowers, butterflies, cosmic visions.
Unique pastel-on-black technique — brilliant color emerging from darkness. His late pastels are the most luminous in 19th-century art.
Further reading: Redon (Basic Art) — Michael GibsonPigments: Cerulean blue · Ultramarine · Cobalt violet · Chrome yellow · Cadmium yellow · Madder and the red lakes · Lead white · Cobalt blue
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