Title plate for La Maison Hantée

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the enchanting world of Odilon Red, a pioneering French Symbolist artist whose dreamlike visions captivated late 19th-century audiences Created in 1896, *Title plate for La Maisonantée* (The Haunted House) serves the evocative frontispiece for a series of lithographs exploring themes of mystery and the supernatural. Redon, renowned for his "Noirs"—monochromatic works that delve into the subconscious—produced this piece during a pivotal phase of his career, bridging his early charcoal drawings and later luminous pastels. Printed in black ink on delicate off-white chine paper, this lithograph measures 44.6 × 31.8 cm and exemplifies Redon's masterful use of lithography. The technique allowed him to achieve subtle tonal gradations and ethereal textures, evoking a haunting atmosphere ideal for its titular haunted house motif. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, it highlights the medium's role in democratizing art through affordable editions, making Symbolist fantasies accessible beyond elite circles. Redon's work reflects the fin-de-siècle fascination with the irrational and unseen, drawing from literary influences like Edgar Allan Poe. This title plate invites visitors to ponder the boundaries between reality and reverie, a hallmark of Symbolism's enduring cultural legacy.

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...