Large Vase with Flowers

Art Historical Context

Odilon Redon’s *Large Vase with Flowers* (c. 1912) captures the artist’s late-career shift toward luminous color and floral subjects. After decades devoted to mysterious charcoal drawings and lithographs known as his “noirs,” Redon embraced oil paint in his final years, producing radiant still lifes that celebrate nature’s vitality. Painted when he was in his seventies, this canvas reflects the Symbolist movement’s emphasis on evoking emotion and imagination rather than literal description. Working in oil on canvas allowed Redon to layer rich, velvety hues and subtle tonal harmonies that make the blossoms appear to glow from within. The modest scale—roughly 28 by 21 inches—invites intimate viewing, encouraging visitors to linger over the delicate balance of form and color. A generous gift to the National Gallery of Art in honor of the museum’s 50th anniversary, the painting exemplifies Redon’s belief that art could transform everyday subjects into quiet meditations on beauty and mystery.

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...