Flower Clouds
c. 1903
Medium
Pastel, with touches of stumping, incising, and brushwork, on blue-gray wove paper with multi-colored fibers altered to tan, perimeter mounted to cardboard
Dimensions
44.5 × 54.2 cm (17 9/16 × 21 3/8 in.)
Classification
pastel
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
76395
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The evocative, symbolic art of Odilon Redon drew its inspiration from the internal world of his imagination. For years this student of Rodolphe Bresdin worked only in black and white, producing powerful and haunting charcoal drawings, lithographs, and etchings. Just as these black works, or Noirs, began to receive critical and public acclaim in the 1890s, Redon discovered the marvels of color through the use of pastel. His immersion in color and this new technique brought about a change in the a...
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon created *Flower Clouds* around 1903, during the later phase of his career when the French Symbolist artist embraced luminous color after years of working primarily in charcoal and black-and-white lithography. As a leading figure of Symbolism, Redon sought to evoke dreams, emotions, and the mysteries of nature rather than depict the visible world literally, and this pastel exemplifies his shift toward radiant, imaginative compositions. The work’s medium—pastel applied to specially prepared blue-gray paper with touches of stumping, incising, and brushwork—allowed Redon to achieve extraordinary softness and depth. These techniques produce the floating, cloud-like forms suggested by the title while highlighting the textured surface of the support. Measuring just over 17 by 21 inches, the intimate scale invites close viewing and rewards attention to the delicate layering of hues. Today in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, *Flower Clouds* stands as a superb example of Redon’s mature vision, bridging 19th-century Symbolism and the emerging modernist interest in subjective experience and pure color.
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...