Les Anemones (Still Life with Anemones) c. 1900 - 1910

This painting, "Les Anemones," now at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, is by Odilon Redon, though the exact date it was made is unknown. Redon's colors feel like they've been breathed onto the canvas, all soft edges and blurry distinctions. I can almost feel him dabbing at the canvas, coaxing these blooms into being. The paint isn't overworked; it retains its freshness, its initial burst of color. See how the blues in the background intermingle with the petals in the foreground? It's like the flowers are emerging from a dream. The brushstrokes are gentle, caressing the forms. What was Redon thinking when he made this? I imagine him lost in the moment, fascinated by the play of light and shadow across these delicate forms. He was part of a whole world of painters talking to each other. I see echoes of Impressionism here, but also something unique to Redon—a willingness to embrace the strange and the ambiguous. Artists like Redon show us that painting isn't just about representation; it's about feeling, about intuition, and about the ongoing, ever-evolving conversation between artists across time.