Still Life with Flowers

Art Historical Context

Odilon Redon's *Still Life with Flowers*1905), an oil on canvas measuring nearly three feet tall, captures the artist's late-career shift toward luminous, vibrant compositions. A leading French Symbolist, Redon began with moody charcoal "Noirs" evoking dreams and myths, but by the early 1900s, he embraced oil painting's rich textures and glowing colors, infusing everyday subjects like flowers with poetic depth. This work exemplifies his floral still lifes, where delicate blooms seem to radiate inner light, blending realism with subtle fantasy. Painted during a period of personal renewal after vision loss, the piece reflects Redon's fascination with nature's ephemeral beauty—flowers as symbols of life's fleeting joy. The large-scale canvas allows for intricate layering of petals and leaves, showcasing oil's versatility in creating velvety surfaces and jewel-like hues. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Painting and Sculpture of Europe, it highlights Redon's influence on modernists like the Nabis and Fauves. Visitors will appreciate how this serene arrangement invites quiet contemplation, bridging 19th-century Symbolism with the brighter palettes of 20th-century art. A testament to Redon's enduring legacy, it reminds us that even ordinary bouquets can bloom with 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...