Large Vase with Flowers c. 1912

Odilon Redon made this painting of a Large Vase with Flowers, most likely in oil on canvas, using a kind of loose, dreamy touch. It’s like he’s not trying to nail anything down, just letting the colors and shapes float around. Check out the vase itself. It’s not really blue, is it? It's more like a memory of blue, built up with layers of other colors. And those flowers! They’re bursting with life, but also kind of dissolving into the background. It’s like Redon is showing us that seeing isn’t just about looking, it’s about feeling, too. There’s this one orange flower on the left that just pulls your eye in, right? It's almost like a little sun, radiating energy. Redon reminds me of someone like Philip Guston, later on. Both of them weren't afraid to get weird and personal. They show us that painting can be a way to explore the inside of our heads, not just the world outside. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the messy, beautiful process of trying to make sense of things.