Vase Of Flowers

The Radiant Still Life That Marked Redon’s Late Career

By 1900, Odilon Redon had long abandoned the shadowy lithographs of his early Symbolist phase, embracing instead the luminous palette that would define his final decade. Vase Of Flowers stands as a pivotal example of this transformation—a work where the artist’s fascination with botanical forms met his evolving mastery of color. Unlike the dreamlike visions of his Noirs period, this composition anchors itself in the tangible: a bouquet of peonies, roses, and irises rendered with almost scientific precision, yet infused with an otherworldly glow. The painting’s creation coincided with Redon’s growing reputation among Parisian avant-garde circles, where his work was championed by critics like Gustave Geffroy, who praised its “harmony of tones that seem to sing.”

What distinguishes this still life from contemporaries like Fantin-Latour or Cézanne is Redon’s refusal to adhere to naturalistic light. The flowers appear illuminated from within, their petals vibrating against a muted background that hovers between wall and void. As The Met notes, Redon’s late works often “dissolve the boundary between representation and abstraction,” a quality evident here in the way stems dissolve into loose, calligraphic strokes. The vase itself—a simple glass vessel—becomes a lens through which Redon explores transparency and reflection, themes that would occupy him until his death in 1916.

Redon’s Turn Toward Light: From Darkness to Chromatic Brilliance

The 1890s marked a decisive shift for Odilon Redon. After decades of working primarily in black-and-white—his famous Noirs series—he began experimenting with pastels and oils, a transition that culminated in works like Vase Of Flowers. This period aligned with his association with the Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist painters who shared his interest in decorative patterns and symbolic color. Unlike Gauguin’s bold primaries or Bonnard’s domestic intimacy, Redon’s palette remained subdued yet radiant, favoring jewel tones and unexpected harmonies.

Critics often frame Redon’s late work as a rejection of his earlier macabre themes, but the continuity lies in his preoccupation with metamorphosis. Where his lithographs depicted hybrid creatures emerging from darkness, paintings like this one capture flowers in a state of fragile bloom—equally transient, equally charged with latent energy. The Tate’s overview of Redon’s career emphasizes this duality: “Even in his brightest canvases, there lingers a sense of the unseen.” In Vase Of Flowers, that tension manifests in the contrast between the flowers’ vivid hues and the ambiguous space they inhabit.

Redon’s flowers are never mere still lifes. They pulse with an inner life, as if caught between the act of growing and the moment of wilting—an effect achieved through his layered glazes and deliberate ambiguities of edge.

The Alchemy of Redon’s Technique

Layered Glazes and Luminous Depth

Redon built Vase Of Flowers through meticulous glazing, a method he adopted from Old Master techniques but adapted to modern ends. By applying thin, transparent layers of oil—sometimes dozens per petal—he created a luminosity that seems to emanate from beneath the surface. The roses, for instance, shift between warm pink and cool lavender depending on the light, a quality lost in reproductions but palpable in the original. This approach demanded patience; Redon often let layers dry for weeks before adding subsequent washes, a process that lent his works their characteristic depth.

Composition as Poetic Fragment

The painting’s cropped framing and asymmetrical arrangement reflect Redon’s debt to Japanese woodblock prints, which he collected avidly. Unlike traditional European still lifes centered on a tabletop, his bouquet floats against an indeterminate ground, drawing the eye to the interplay of stems and petals. The vase’s placement—offset to the left—creates a dynamic tension with the negative space, a technique Redon described in his journals as “leaving room for the imagination to complete the scene.”

Where Redon’s Flowers Bloom: A Guide to Display

At 30×40 cm (12×16 inches), this framed print commands attention without overwhelming a room. Its muted background and vibrant florals make it remarkably versatile: the warm roses and peonies harmonize with earthy tones—terracotta, olive green, or warm gray—while the cooler irises provide contrast against deeper hues like navy or charcoal. For maximum impact, position the print where it will catch natural light, ideally in a living room above a console table or in a bedroom as a focal point opposite the bed. Avoid overly busy walls; Redon’s composition thrives when given space to breathe.

In contemporary interiors, the print’s gold-toned frame bridges traditional and modern aesthetics. Pair it with minimalist furniture to let the artwork dominate, or contrast it against dark wood panelling for a moody, collected look. For those drawn to its Symbolist roots, consider grouping it with other Redon works—his Underwater Vision series, for example—to create a gallery wall that traces his artistic evolution.

More Works by Odilon Redon

Explore the full spectrum of Redon’s vision, from his ethereal floral studies to the enigmatic dreamscapes that defined his Symbolist period.

Odilon Redon

Bouquet

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Odilon Redon

Underwater Vision 1

View print

Odilon Redon

Flowers

View print

Odilon Redon

Anemones

View print

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