Predestined Child 1904

Odilon Redon created this dreamlike painting, Predestined Child, with oils, and you can almost feel his touch. It's a wash of creamy hues, punctuated by a figure reaching towards floating botanical life. Imagine Redon in his studio, lost in thought as he mixes his paints. What was he thinking as he daubed the canvas, coaxing these soft forms into being? It’s not quite solid, is it? The flowers seem to drift, a swirl of pinks, whites, and greens against a luminous backdrop. The paint is applied in thin, translucent layers, which gives it an airy feel. Then there's the red of the woman's gown – a grounding force that connects her to the earth. It's easy to get lost in Redon's world because he had a way of embracing mystery and inviting you to bring your own ideas into the mix. Painters like Redon teach us that painting is a way of seeing and a form of embodied expression.