"It is only after making an effort of will to represent with minute care a grass blade, a stone, a branch...that I am overcome by the irresistable urge to create something imaginary." Great leaps were being made in all scientific areas during this time, including astronomy, microbiology, and prehistory. In short, the world that man considered daily had expanded beyond the planet Earth. Redon's drawings are an expression of humanity's eternal search for their place in the world, blending all forms of life through charcoal and pastel in order to even attempt to grasp the immensity of it all.
Redon studied landscapes, landscape artists, and even the bone structures of creatures at natural history museums to master their forms and then twist them with his own imagination. It was during this time that it was being discovered that plants and animals were very nearly the same at their basic cellular level, which can be seen to lend to the conception of some of Redon's creatures. He was also strongly influenced by Armand Clavaud's ideas in which there was one great force behind life and each organism was its manifestation.
Though he perished over several decades aho, Redon's works are full of ideas that society still grapples with today. We still wonder over our place in the universe and the idea of evolution. And the search for life on other worlds has not lost any of its steam. Are we alone in the universe?
Discussion Questions
- How do you reconcile concepts such as evolution and natural selection with your faith tradition/ system of beliefs?
- Do you believe in the existence of life on other worlds? Why or why not?
- Write a response to Redon’s lithograph series, Les Origines. This can be from the viewpoint of a person living during Redon’s time, a more modern approach, or taken from the view of one or more of the creatures in the series.
- Write a creative piece in which you are creating your own world. How would you go about it? What would your thought process be on the organisms you are creating?
Have Fun!
