Oannes - Odilon Redon
Archival giclée
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Description
A dreamlike, Symbolist depiction of the ancient deity Oannes, rendered in soft, atmospheric tones and ethereal brushwork by Odilon Redon.
Odilon Redon, a central figure in the Symbolist movement, produced this work during a period when his focus shifted from the stark monochrome of his earlier lithographs toward a more luminous, colour-saturated palette. Oannes, the ancient Babylonian deity often depicted as a fish-man, appears here in a dreamlike, ethereal state. Redon avoids a literal or historical representation, choosing instead to evoke the mythic quality of the figure through soft, atmospheric brushwork and a hazy, indeterminate space.
The figure of Oannes is positioned to the left, emerging from a dark, textured mass that suggests aquatic or primordial origins. His profile is rendered with a delicate, almost ghostly quality, while the surrounding space dissolves into a wash of muted purples, greys, and ochres. Small, floating forms, reminiscent of sea life or celestial bodies, drift across the right side of the composition. These elements contribute to the sense of mystery that defines Redon's later output, where the boundaries between the physical world and the subconscious realm become porous.
Redon's technique in this piece relies on the layering of thin glazes and dry, scumbled paint to create a sense of depth that feels psychological rather than spatial. The light does not emanate from a single source but seems to glow from within the pigment itself. By choosing a subject rooted in ancient mythology, Redon explores themes of transformation and the origins of consciousness. The work invites contemplation, offering a visual experience that prioritises mood and internal resonance over narrative clarity. It is a characteristic example of the artist's ability to translate literary and mythological concepts into a purely visual language of suggestion and ambiguity.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Oannes - Odilon Redon
Artist Biography
Odilon Redon
For the first two decades of his career he worked exclusively in black: charcoal drawings and lithographs he called his noirs. Floating eyeballs, severed heads with closed lids, spiders with human faces, plants that grow teeth. The images are hallucinatory but precisely rendered, closer to medical illustration than fantasy. He published his first lithograph album, Dans le Reve, in 1879. Nobody noticed.
Recognition came sideways. In 1884, Joris-Karl Huysmans published A rebours, a novel about a reclusive aesthete who decorates his rooms with Redon's prints. The book became a cult text for the Symbolist movement and Redon became famous by association. Stephane Mallarme, the Symbolist poet, became a close friend. Redon also completed a series of lithographs dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe, whose poems Mallarme and Baudelaire had translated into French.
After 1900 he stopped making noirs entirely and shifted to colour: pastels and oils of flowers, mythological figures and butterflies in palettes that anticipate Matisse. The transition was so complete that the Surrealists later claimed the black work while the Fauves claimed the colour, and neither group seemed to notice they were talking about the same person.
He studied under Jean-Leon Gerome at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, which is an unlikely pairing: Gerome painted Roman gladiators with photographic precision. Redon painted eyeballs attached to balloons. Goya and Delacroix were the influences that actually stuck.
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