Rodolphe Bresdin (French, 1822-1885)
Rodolphe Bresdin is known for his meticulously executed prints and sketches. Scenes of people in fantastical landscapes, interiors of rural homes, small villages, peasant huts, and Biblical themes dominate Bresdin’s artwork, portrayed in minute detail. Many of his prints contain highly worked areas, as well as distorted perspective and whimsical, almost fairy-tale-like settings.
Bresdin himself led a nomadic existence, shifting residences every few months. Contemporaries like Charles Baudelaire, Théophile Gautier, and Victor Hugo all praised Bresdin, though he operated independently of any school. His more than 200 prints would later have a big impact on the Symbolists and Surrealists of the early-twentieth century who also employed distorted and whimsical imagery.
