Bouquet of Flowers

Art Historical Context

Step into the dreamlike world of Odilon Redon withBouquet of Flowers*, captivating pastel on paper from around 1900–1905, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art European Paintings department. Measuring an impressive 31 58 x 25 1/4 inches, this still life features a lush arrangement of blooms in a vase, rendered with Redon's signature soft glow and ethereal quality. Gifted by Mrs. George B. Post in 1956, it exemplifies the French Symbolist's late-career embrace of vibrant color after his earlier "Noir" period of shadowy charcoal drawings. Redon (1840–1916), a pioneer of Symbolism, transitioned in the 1890s to luminous pastels and oils, infusing everyday subjects like flowers with poetic mystery and spiritual depth. Unlike rigid academic still lifes, his bouquets evoke reverie—petals blending in hazy transitions that suggest the fleeting beauty of life. Pastel, with its powdery texture and blendability, was ideal for capturing the delicate translucency of flowers, allowing Redon to layer colors for a velvety, almost otherworldly radiance. This work reflects fin-de-siècle fascination with nature's symbolism amid modernity's upheavals, inviting viewers to linger on its meditative calm. A testament to Redon's innovative fusion of realism and fantasy, it remains a floral jewel in the Met's collection.

About the Artist

Odilon Redon · 1840–1916

Odilon Redon (1840-1916) was a French Symbolist painter, printmaker, and pastellist whose visionary art bridged the 19th-century Symbolist movement and 20th-century Surrealism. Born Bertrand Redon in Bordeaux on April 20, 1840, he earned the nickname "Odilon" from his mother Odile. His father, who made his fortune in the Louisiana slave trade, conceived Odilon in New Orleans before the family retu...