The Buddha 1904

Odilon Redon made "The Buddha" with what looks like pastel and oil, and I imagine him, years ago, building up this image in layers, almost like a dream forming on the paper. Look at how he's built this incredible landscape of flowers, a garden of the mind. It's not just a pretty scene; it feels like a space for contemplation, a place where the Buddha figure, almost transparent, is part of the environment, connected to the tree, the flowers, everything. The colors are muted but intense, those spots of blue and red popping out like little revelations. I can almost see Redon stepping back, squinting, adding a touch here, softening an edge there. It reminds me of other painters like Moreau or even some of the Symbolists, this interest in the interior, the mystical. It shows how art is all about that exchange. We’re all in this big conversation, riffing off each other across time. It’s less about knowing exactly what it means and more about feeling the possibility of meaning itself.