This drawing if a fabulous example of how tone creates atmosphere.
The dark tones between the trees allude to mystery, the unsaid and the unseen. The space feels oppressive, apprehensive, brooding and is ‘dark’ in all meanings of the word. The darkness of tone almost makes the viewer fearful for what lies beyond. It creates suspense – fear of the unknown. The dark space is filled by the viewer’s imaginings. Is it good, evil or something unimaginable in that gloomy space? It looks like a place you could get lost in.
In contrast, the pale tones and marks in the lighter part of the drawing show us clearly something more familiar and comfortable. We can see the bark, the branches and the flow of growth upwards. The marks we can clearly read are representations of natural forms and living organisims we are very familiar with. This familiarity is more comfortable. We can admire the beauty and techical achivement of the drawing here.
The dark tone at the base of the tree on the left may hint that the darkness beyond is nothing to be afraid of. The darkness the left tree trunk creates underneath itself is just repeated into the forest -it’s as natural as the light we see in the clearing.
The tones create these emotional reactions. I believe it is ingrained human survival instinct to be afraid of the dark and seek the familiar in what can be seen.
The Eternal Silence Of These Infinite Spaces Frightens Me, Olidon Redon, http://www.olidon-redon.org
Fear, Odilon Redon, http://www.olidon-redon.org
I looked for other examples of this artist’s work and found the website http://www.odilon-redon.org
This website displayed his complete works. The paintings were gentle, delicate and dreamy. Many of his drawings, were in contrast, dark, mysterious and a somewhat menacing and surreal. I have posted some more examples above. As with the two trees, these drawings use the marks made to build a sense of foreboding in the dark places. The artist uses a variety of different styles of marks to build the overall piece – lines, shading, different background tones and blocks of almost black and also the lightest grey.
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