Odilon Redon

Reseach point about Redon which took an unexpected turn.  My first impression, without reading about the artist and history behind his work, was that he was not a good artist who cannot paint the heads or hands of his models, or not to bother to do so.  His flowers painted for money to keep food on table ,because his flowers have slightly different style and charm.
After reading more and more about his life and trying find out about people and friends who he met in his life, it is appears he has a very charming and pessimistic personality , I found it charming, I believe most people would not. He considered himself intellectual, but some of his Philosophical phrases is confusing as some of his work . for example:
Nothing can be created in art by the will alone. All art is the submission of the will to the unconscious. –Odilon Redon (  http://www.escapeintolife.com/essays/odilon-redon-prince-of-dreams/)
But the will is normally thought of as that what is not in the reason, which would include the unconscious.
I love him for phase “Titling a work of art was redundant. “My drawings inspire and do not offer explanations…..Further explanation could hardly make the fact any clearer that they (his drawings and paintings) are the reverberations of a human expression, that, by means of the license of fantasy”. http://www.arthistory-famousartists-paintings.com/OdilonRedon.html
He should be put in art history only for this phase because he one of the artist who paint by insparation and who do not need words around his work: needs admiration and appreciation, but not categorization.
I not see how he could possible put in category of symbolism, it looks more as he is pre dadaist or pre surrealist and I can undestand his frustration when he was categorised as symbolist.
“Odilon Redon was frustrated that critics kept on seeing his art in terms of symbolism and meaning. Redon combined various recognizable elements in his artwork that had no relationship to each other in order to seed the imagination of the viewer and to power that imagination in any direction a person chose.’http://www.arthistory-famousartists-paintings.com/OdilonRedon.html
You clearly can see from where his black and white art came ,he had strong influence from his master and teacher Rodolphe Bresdin.
Odelin was very influenced in his life by people who he met. Artists and poets make his pessimistic nature flow in world of the imaginary( black and white), but when he became recognized as artist, I am not surprised that he moved to a colorful palette where his true nature lay.  He got confidence to do so. His flowers are full of charm and tenderness; his figurative art is undefinable and flowfull.
I believe his art  stands outside any category .