Vase of Flowers 1909

Odilon Redon made this pastel drawing, Vase of Flowers, sometime during his career when he was shifting away from his earlier, darker, more Symbolist style. At first glance, it’s a simple still life, a colorful bunch of flowers in a vase. But consider the historical context: Redon lived through a period of immense social and political change in France. He witnessed the Franco-Prussian War and the rise of industrialization. His earlier work was very much about the human condition, but this drawing has a delicacy and lightness. While still life painting was traditionally seen as a lower genre, often associated with women artists, Redon elevates it here, and invests it with an intense feeling. Does the vibrancy of the flowers suggest a sense of hope, a departure from the societal turmoil and personal struggles that marked his earlier life and art? Or is it a commentary on the fleeting nature of beauty and life? The flowers, in their ephemeral beauty, encourage us to reflect on the intricate dance between joy and sorrow, resilience and fragility, that shapes our shared human experience.