Poppies in a Vase 1910

Odilon Redon made this painting of poppies in a vase at some point in his career, we don't know exactly when, but the way he builds up the surface is really interesting. You can see how he’s almost scrubbing the paint on, creating this kind of shimmering, atmospheric space. It’s not just about the flowers; it's about the whole environment they exist within. Look at the way the colors sort of blend and bleed into each other, especially in the background. There’s a real looseness, like he’s letting the paint do its thing. But then you get these moments of intense color, like the vibrant red of the poppies themselves, which pops right out. That contrast, the loose ground against the saturated colour is really special. And the textures! You can almost feel the velvety petals and the rough surface of the vase. Redon’s always been a bit of a hero to me because of how he embraced the weird and the dreamy. His work reminds me a bit of other symbolist artists like Gustave Moreau, who also explored these inner worlds through art, always searching. Isn't that the best kind of art, where meaning is multiple and open to interpretation?