Woman with a Yellow Bodice 1899

Odilon Redon made this portrait using pastel, a medium poised between drawing and painting. Here, the powdery pigment is pressed onto the paper's surface, leaving a velvety texture. The artist likely built up the image through layers of strokes, blending colors softly to create a dreamlike atmosphere. Notice how the yellow bodice seems to glow, contrasting with the more muted blues and greys of the background and dress. Pastel, although easily smudged and requiring careful handling, allowed Redon to achieve a unique luminosity and immediacy. It was a favorite of Impressionists like Degas. With its origins as a sketching medium, by Redon's time, it was often used for finished works. Redon takes pastel from a medium associated with immediacy into the realm of finished composition. By embracing this medium, traditionally associated with both academic study and informal sketches, Redon challenged the rigid hierarchies of the art world. His embrace of color and atmospheric effects pushed the boundaries of painting.