Tree Against a Yellow Background 1901

Odilon Redon painted this beauty, *Tree Against a Yellow Background,* and what strikes me is the overwhelming use of yellow, creating a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere. It looks as though it has emerged, shifted and changed through trial, error and intuition. I can imagine Redon applying the paint in layers, each stroke building on the last, searching for the right balance of light and shadow. It makes me think about what Redon might have been feeling as he worked. Was he trying to capture a specific moment in time, or was he more interested in creating a mood, an impression? There's something really powerful about that dominant yellow. And the way the colors blend and bleed into each other creates such a rich texture. It's not just about what the painting depicts, but also about the materiality of the paint itself. Redon had a dark period but then became known for vibrant color, and to me, this painting says it all. We are all works in progress.