A crowd within the dense undergrowth

The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke gathers tiny figures among stems, flowers and branching forms. The many changes of scale make the surface difficult to take in at once. Repeated details connect the central action to a much wider population within the surrounding plants.

A pale group within a dark enclosure

Titania Sleeping places the reclining figure beneath a flower-filled arch, with other small bodies occupying the shaded ground. The rounded opening focuses attention within the larger woodland. Bright fabric and scattered flowers interrupt the darker greens and warm foreground.

Figures separated across the shore

Fish Market by the Sea sets a compact gathering in patterned clothing before water, boats and distant buildings. The bodies stand more clearly apart than in the fairy scenes. Small foreground objects connect their gestures to the everyday activity of the coastal setting.

Related artists and collections

Compare imaginative detail in Gustave Doré, literary figures in John William Waterhouse and visionary settings in Gustave Moreau. Further myth and supernatural prints develops the fairy subjects, while figurative art follows the smaller groups, costumes and encounters.

Read more in our Odilon Redon’s imaginative art.