Odilon Redon – And a Little Beethoven – At Sunnyside

Odilon Redon, *Phaeton*, signed Odilon Redon (lower right), oil on canvas, 73.5 by 54.5cm., 28 7/8 by 21 1/2 in., Image Source: Sotheby’s

“Phaéton is a stunning example of Symbolist painting by one of the period’s great talents: Odilon Redon…Phaeton was the son of the sun-god Helios whose chariot pulled the Sun across the sky. Phaeton, young and impulsive, demanded to try to drive the chariot but the pull was too strong and the chariot crashed into earth. In order to prevent the destruction of the earth Zeus threw a thunderbolt at the chariot, killing Phaeton. As a fable it is a powerful one and as in the present work commandeers the viewer into considering his impulsions before acting…Phaéton is perhaps a true reflection of the power of classical myth when fused with a 1910 appreciation of colour and form.”
READ FULL ESSAY: Sotheby’s

Detail of works by Odilon Redon paired with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 (1806) – second and third movements: Andante con moto – Rondo (vivace), Video by Jayson King

Hear More

Beethoven At Sunnyside

See More

Odilon Redon At Sunnyside

Odilon Redon at Van Gogh Museum

Odilon Redon at Musée d’Orsay

Odilon Redon at Christie’s

Odilon Redon at Sotheby’s

Odilon Redon at wikimedia

Odilon Redon at wikiwand

Fleur Roos Rosa de Carvalho, ‘Decorative panels’, in Odilon Redon
and Andries Bonger: 36 works from the Van Gogh Museum collection,
Amsterdam 2022, FREE PDF HERE