Silence 1911

Odilon Redon created ‘Silence’ using oil on canvas, and looking at it, I see painting as a process of layering and emergence. The colours are muted, almost ghostly. It's like Redon built up this image from the inside out, using thin washes of colour. The texture is smooth, the brushstrokes are subtle, almost invisible. It's as if he wanted to create a dream-like vision, a world that exists just beyond our grasp. Notice the figure in the oval frame. Is it a portrait, or a symbol? Is she asleep, or lost in thought? That pink curve beneath her face—is it a pillow, a cloud, or something else entirely? For me it feels like the art embraces ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own associations and interpretations to the work. Thinking about other artists, I’m reminded of Giorgio Morandi, who, like Redon, found endless possibilities in a limited range of subjects and colours. For both of them, it’s not about what you paint, but how you paint it.