“The value of art lies in its power to increase our moral force or establish its heightening influence.”
The 20th Century was an exciting time for art. The impending doom of modernism and the previous surge of impressionism caused the beginning of the 20th era to be an unusual ‘transitional’ point between the two artistic movements. Technology was rapidly changing, as was society. During the latter half of the impressionist movement and at the beginning of the modernist movement, the symbolist movement flourished well. Symbolism was a revival of the romantic movement from 18th Century, but also incorporated many features of both impressionism and modernism. Utilising the mystical features of Romanticism, symbolism used the reality of impressionism and the perverse nature of modernism to be combined in its art form. Some reknowned symbolist examples include Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, Gustave Moreau’s Orpheus, Odilon Redon’s The Birth of Venus, and also one of Redon’s last works: The Cyclops.
Gustav Klimt - The Kiss
Bertrand-Jean Redon was born on the 20th of April, 1840. He was soon called ‘Odilon’ after his birth, and attended school in Bordeaux. In 1870, Redon enlisted in the army to be involved in the Franco-Prussian War. Moving to Paris afterwards, Redon grew popular in the 1880s as his diverse style did not mirror the dominant impressionist/realist style in France, using charcoal to create such works as The Spirit of the Forest, Cactus Man and The Crying Spider. His work suggested the beginnings of a new genre, one that drew away from impressionism and moved to a more perverse and ambiguous field, of modernism. After receiving small fame in the 1880s, Redon began to experiment with pastels, allowing less and less focus on his previous charcoal-fueled work, and eventually adopting a style that conveyed a more romantic feel, introducing the beginnings of symbolism. In his 74th year, on the eve of World War I, Redon produced what some might consider his Magnus Opus, The Cyclops.
At a first glance The Cyclops seems to be an artist’s work from the Romantic era, and it is only after noticing the modernist and impressionist touches on the painting, that one can interpret the subtle differences between symbolism and romanticism. Illustrated in The Cyclops are two distinct figures: the cyclops and what seems to be a naked figure hiding from its alert glare. Although the painting conveys a feeling of romanticism, it would be unfair on Redon to merely dismiss his painting as part of a Romanticism revival, as in common practice Romantic works are largely elaborate, defined and distinct, allowing the shapes and figures to be formed almost perfectly. In Redon’s work, the only figure defined is the cyclops, with the naked figure, presumably a man, being almost encapsulated by the surrounding flora and fauna, all of which are incomprehensible to determine. For example, surrounding the naked figure are unidentifiable shapes that look somewhat like other human figures, but also can be interpreted as natural flora, or colourful flowers. The Cyclops cannot be acknowledged as a Romantic revival work as its ambiguity suggests a close connection with the modernism movement.
Lastly, due to the context of this work being created in a time of tension on the eve of WWI and Redon’s involvement in the Franco-Prussian War detailing his patriotic nature for France, there is a possible political nature of Redon’s The Cyclops. Before the war, it was known in Europe that Germany was militarising its nation rapidly, and hence seen as a credible threat to France. The Cyclops can be seen to illustrate this view with the figures of the cyclops and the naked man. The cyclops, represented by the oncoming forces of Germany, illustrates the narrow-minded view of the German nation – literally. The naked figure is then left to be represented by the French nation, innocent and almost part of its surroundings, conveying the view that the Germans are an unnatural feature of earth, in contrast to the French. Mention must be made to the era in which Redon lived in, which was at times very tense, dangerous and turbulent between nations. Hence it was largely common for paintings and works to be full of bias and largely one-sided in argument. This case is highly probably in Odilon Redon’s The Cyclops.
The features of the symbolist movement are subtle and innovative, and cover a large area of features from other genres, hence allowing the symbolist works to be more elaborate and unique. The Cyclops portrays a collection of features from impressionism, romanticism and modernism in a single painting, while also incorporating a strong political message in a tense and turbulent era. The marksmanship and skill provided by Redon is astounding, and the work is an example of innovative painting representing its significant context.
Odilon Redon - The Cyclops
Walker 