A key pillar in the Symbolist movement using imagery from his imagination and dreams. I prefer his early black and white work, or as he called them: Noirs, to his later colour paintings as the disturbing imagery speaks more to me than his floral paintings.
The floating heads and eyes feel ahead of their time resonating more with the surrealist movement.
The Smiling Spider (1887) is by far my favorite of his pieces for the unsettling nature of the composition and the poorly lit grin. The ten legs add an extra layer of bizarre and stand out among his work.
While I prefer his Noirs, his use of colour is not lost on me. Particularly: the bright orange in Reflection is absolutely stunning against the azure blue landscape.
Overall his compositions are striking and many of his pieces live in my gallery of inspiration.
Leave a Reply