Breton Village
c. 1890
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 22.5 x 32.5 cm (8 7/8 x 12 13/16 in.) framed: 31.9 x 41.9 x 3.5 cm (12 9/16 x 16 1/2 x 1 3/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1994.59.11
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon’s *Breton Village* (c. 1890) captures a quiet rural scene in the coastal region of Brittany, rendered in oil on canvas. By this date Redon had begun moving away from his earlier monochromatic “noirs” toward a brighter palette, and the modest scale of the painting—roughly the size of a large book—invites close, personal viewing. The work reflects the Symbolist impulse to suggest mood and memory rather than simply record topography, allowing the village to feel both observed and imagined. Redon’s handling of oil paint here emphasizes soft transitions and luminous touches of color, ...
About the Artist
Odilon Redon · 1840–1916
Odilon Redon (1840-1916) was a French Symbolist painter, printmaker, and pastellist whose visionary art bridged the 19th-century Symbolist movement and 20th-century Surrealism. Born Bertrand Redon in Bordeaux on April 20, 1840, he earned the nickname "Odilon" from his mother Odile. His father, who made his fortune in the Louisiana slave trade, conceived Odilon in New Orleans before the family retu...