Tree Against a Yellow Background 1901

Odilon Redon painted ‘Tree Against a Yellow Background’ with oil on canvas, and it's like stepping into a dream of sunlight. Redon’s marks, they’re not trying to trick you into thinking this is a real tree, but instead invite you to feel the making, the process, and the artist’s hand. The way the light seems to glow from within, it’s all about how he built up those layers. Look closely and you'll see touches of red and green that dance beneath the overwhelming yellow. It's this kind of colour play that gives the painting its life, its breath. Notice how some of the branches seem to dissolve into the background, while others pop with surprising clarity. It's as if Redon is playing with visibility itself. Thinking about someone like Bonnard, who also wasn’t afraid of bathing everything in light and colour, you can see how artists keep the conversation going, pushing and pulling at what painting can do, and how it makes us feel.