The artwork “Animals of the Sea” was created by the artist Odilon Redon in 1910. It is an oil on canvas piece, measuring 35.56 x 24.13 cm, and is currently held in a private collection. Redon’s work is noted for its contribution to the Symbolism movement, and this particular piece falls under the genre of animal painting.
Within the confines of the canvas, Redon transports viewers to an ethereal marine environment. The artwork features a striking array of sea creatures, depicted in a dreamlike and fluid manner that is characteristic of Redon’s style. The colors are vivid, with an almost fantastical element to them, and the brushwork imbues the scene with a sense of movement and life. These marine life forms seem to float gently in the ambiguous space, giving the artwork a meditative quality that resonates with the Symbolist intention of conveying emotional or mystical ideas. The soft, blended hues and the absence of a definable background contribute to the illusory depth of this underwater tableau. Redon has not aimed for photorealistic representation but rather for the evocation of the ocean’s mystical and serene qualities.
