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 CookeSapphire vision
Deep jewel blue — literally encrusted like a precious stone.
Material: Ultramarine, cobalt blue, thick impasto
RGB(26, 58, 138)
Gilded myth
Gold-toned flesh of mythological figures.
Material: Gold paint, yellow ochre, lead-tin yellow
RGB(200, 164, 74)
Salomé's blood
Dark blood-red of decapitation scenes.
Material: Crimson lake, vermilion, burnt sienna
RGB(138, 26, 42)
Sphinx emerald
Deep jewel-green of mythical landscapes.
Material: Viridian, emerald green, malachite
RGB(42, 90, 58)
Opal violet
Iridescent violet of mystical atmosphere.
Material: Cobalt violet, ultramarine, crimson lake
RGB(106, 58, 138)
Encrusted pearl
Thick impasto white — literal jeweled surface.
Material: Lead white, zinc white, palette knife texture
RGB(220, 208, 192)
Pigments: 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 GibsonNoir charcoal
The dense charcoal black of Redon's early 'noirs' — nightmare visions.
Material: Vine charcoal, compressed charcoal on paper
RGB(12, 8, 8)
Dream turquoise
Brilliant turquoise pastel emerging from dark ground.
Material: Pastel: cobalt green, cerulean blue on dark paper
RGB(58, 138, 154)
Cosmic violet
Deep violet of cosmic/mystical visions.
Material: Pastel: cobalt violet, ultramarine
RGB(90, 42, 122)
Butterfly yellow
Brilliant yellow of metamorphosis imagery.
Material: Pastel: cadmium yellow, chrome yellow
RGB(233, 200, 64)
Bouquet pink
Soft pink of Redon's late floral pastels.
Material: Pastel: rose madder, lead white
RGB(216, 138, 160)
Cyclops eye blue
Intense blue of the disembodied eyes in his noirs.
Material: Pastel: ultramarine, cobalt blue
RGB(58, 90, 170)
Pigments: Cerulean blue · Ultramarine · Cobalt violet · Chrome yellow · Cadmium yellow · Madder and the red lakes · Lead white · Cobalt blue
Related Materials
If this palette inspired you, here’s what to paint with.
Sennelier Extra-Soft French Pastels, 20 ColorsView on Amazon
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Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour Starter Set, 10 TubesView on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate, Pigmentoria earns from qualifying purchases. This page may contain affiliate links.