Flowers in a Vase
c. 1910
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 55.9 x 39.4 cm (22 x 15 1/2 in.) framed: 74.3 x 60.6 x 8.3 cm (29 1/4 x 23 7/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Accession Number
1970.17.56
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon's *Flowers in a Vase* (c. 1910), an oil on canvas measuring 55.9 x 39.4 cm, the artist's late-career fascination with luminous floral still lifes. A leading French Symbolist, Redon transitioned from his monochromatic noirs—dreamlike visions in charcoal and lithography—to vibrant, colorful oils and pastels after 1900. This shift reflected his embrace of light and nature, influenced by the Impressionists while retaining a mystical, otherworldly quality that defined Symbolism. In this intimate composition, Redon arranges blooms in a simple vase, their petals glowing with soft, iride...
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...