Title: Vase de fleurs avec branches de pommiers en fleurs
Artist: Odilon Redon (French, 1840-1916)
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 130 x 67.5 cm
Description
After 1900, the mature Odilon Redon returned to floral still lifes, a subject of his youth. He abandoned his earlier “noirs,” applying his fully developed mastery of color. While influenced by Fantin-Latour, Redon found pure naturalism lifeless. He filtered still life through memory and imagination, stating that only by letting imagination flow through the recollection of forms could he find artistic peace.
Engaging with Nabi decorative theory and Neo-Impressionist color experiments, Redon prioritized formal purity. Color became paramount; subject matter served as a vehicle for exploration. Floral arrangements were ideal. Here, poppies and blossoms gather in a red earthenware pot. The vase floats in a vague, flattened space, revealing the influence of Asian art. His friendship with botanist Armand Clavaud introduced him to science, literature, Baudelaire, and Eastern thought, deeply informing his vision.
These are not merely decorative. They conjure an intoxicating, fragrant atmosphere inseparable from reverie and fantasy—the essence of Redon’s art. Critic A. Flament, viewing Redon’s 1905 Salon d’Automne works, wrote: “M. Odilon Redon is a painter of flowers as seen in dreams. They do not flourish under the sun. Their noon is moonlight. They emerge from our nightmares… from Oriental legends.”
Image Download
Image Dimensions: 1603 x 3200 pixels
Image Size: 663 KB
Image Format: JPG
Print Resolution: 300 dpi
Download Format: ZIP Archive
License: Public Domain, Free for Commercial Use
