The Graphic Works of Odilon Redon Quotes

“Only twice did he try color lithography, then in its heyday in France. He felt that color “cheapened” the essential character of the medium. In his Journals and in his letters are many references to this art form, of which one will serve as example: 

"Black is the most essential of all colors. Above all, if I may say so, it draws its excitement and vitality from deep and secret sources of health.... One must admire black. Nothing can debauch it. It does not please the eye and awakens no sensuality. It is an agent of the spirit far more than the fine color of the palette or the prism. Thus a good lithograph is more likely to be appreciated in a serious country, where inclement nature compels man to remain confined to his home, cultivating his own thoughts, that is to say in the countries of the north rather than those of the south, where the sun draws us outside ourselves and delights us. Lithography enjoys little esteem in France, except when it has been cheapened by the addition of color, which produces a different result, destroying its specific qualities so that it comes to resemble a cheap colored print....”
― Odilon Redon, The Graphic Works of Odilon Redon