Odilon Redon

I was asked to find out about Odilon Redon and his work, and again this is an artist that I hadn't heard of by name but recognised one of his charcoal pieces of work. His is a symbolist and produced work that invoked his mood and spirit, drawing from daydreams and nightmares, producing obscure beings and I think work from his pysche.
Odilon Redon 1840-1914(www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odilon_Redon)
Odilon was born in Bourdeaux on 20th April and was the 2nd son to Bertrand Redon and Marie Guerin.  His birth name was Bertrand-Jean Redon and his mother nicknamed him Odilon, Odie for short.
In his youth he was entrusted to his uncle who owned a family vineyard Peyrelebade near Lisac in the Medoc region.  Here Odilon was greatly influenced by his enviroment, the colours from the soil and light envoked his liking for the obscure. (www.odilonredon.net/biography.html)
He was recognised as a good potential artist at the age of 10yrs when he won a drawing prize. When he was 15yrs old he began to study art but was under pressure from his father to become an architect.  According to wikipedia he failed his entrance exams to become an architect at the Ecoles des beaux art but reading information from www.odilonredon.net/biography.html he actually failed his architect exams.  I have trawled around the websites but haven't been able to cross reference to clarify the facts.
He briefly studied painting under Jean-Leon Gerome in 1864.   He took up sculpture and Rudolfe Bresdin instructed him in etching and lithography.

                                           The Eye Charcoal on Paper downloaded from Bridgeman library

In 1870 he joined the army to serve in the Franco-Prussian war and when the war ended he moved to Paris where he painted in charcoal and lithography.  He called his work his 'noirs' which I think is aptly named as it describes his work and his state of mind.  The first part of his life he was unhappy and in 1874 his father died and during the spring he goes to Brittany where his most distressing noirs were done.

                                           The Crying Spider downloaded from Wikipedia
                                       
In 1880 he marries Camille Falte and they honeymoon in Brittany where Redon paints his first pastels. In 1881 he exhibits his charcoals and the reaction is cool and he produces his first version of the spider.
He did many mystical lithographs and was greatly influenced by the works of Edgar Alan Poe.
In1884 his brother Leo and his sister Marie die in close sucession and in 1886 his first son died which left him  depressed and saddened until the birth of his 2nd son.

                                The Flag Pastel on Board downloaded from the Bridgeman library
In 1890 he has contact with Gauguin and he gradually moves away from his noirs and paints more in pastel and oils and after 1900 he produced no more charcoal paintings. 
In 1905 he was awarded the Legion of Honour (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odilon_Redon) which is an honour established by Napoleon Bonaparte.  The order is the highest decoration  in France.  Odilon Redon died on July 6th 1916.