Primitive Man

c. 1864 – 1870

Sculpture and lessons with Bresdin in Bordeaux

Back in his native Bordeaux, Redon took up sculpting, and Rodolphe Bresdin instructed him in etching and lithography.

1867–1915

Begins the journal “To Myself”

From 1867 Redon kept a journal, “À soi-même” (“To Myself”), setting out his views on art and creation; the last entries date from 1915.

1870–1871

Army service in the Franco-Prussian War

In 1870 Redon found himself in the field army in the Franco-Prussian War and, to the surprise of family and friends, proved a brave and steadfast soldier. The war, which ended for France in a humiliating peace, gave him confidence in himself.

March 1874

Death of his father

In March 1874 Redon’s father died. It was a severe shock to the artist, who never got over his resentment of his father for the “homeless” years of his childhood, yet it let him devote himself entirely to art.

after March 1874

The Paris circle: Mallarmé, Chenavard, Chausson

In Paris, where he settled in Montparnasse, Redon met Stéphane Mallarmé, began attending Madame de Rayssac’s literary and musical salon, and got to know Henri Fantin-Latour, Paul Chenavard and the musician Ernest Chausson.