“The Green Death” is an oil on canvas artwork by Odilon Redon, created around 1905. This work is a part of the Symbolism art movement, and it measures approximately 54.93 x 46.99 cm. As a symbolic painting, “The Green Death” is currently housed within a private collection.
The artwork presents itself with a somber and mystic quality that is typical of Redon’s symbolist approach. Central is a towering, spectral figure rendered in shades of green, with a loosely defined human-like form that appears to rise or float amidst a tumultuous background. The palette is dominated by contrasting warm and cold hues, with expressive brushwork that suggests both movement and emotional depth. The figure’s body morphs into or emerges from a snail-like spiral below it, which serves as an anchor within the composition. This swirling motif may symbolize the cyclical nature of life and death or invoke a feeling of inevitable decay. The background seems to be ablaze with fiery reds and oranges, providing a dramatic contrast to the cooler greens used for the figure, accentuating the theme of life opposing the encompassing forces of mortality. The overall effect is one of a dreamlike vision, surcharged with allegorical meaning, inviting the viewer to contemplate the deeper existential themes explored by Redon and his symbolist contemporaries.
