Vase of Flowers 1910

Curator: Welcome! Before us is Odilon Redon’s "Vase of Flowers," a striking oil on canvas created around 1910. Editor: My first impression is that the vase appears as if it were excavated from deep soil—it’s earthy and elemental, not delicate or pretty. The overall palette, especially with the brownish background, gives a gravity and sense of melancholy. Curator: Note how Redon has used impasto, building up thick layers of paint to give the blooms a tactile, almost three-dimensional quality. This physicality lends a vivid presence, yet they are arranged in a way that almost feels otherworldly. Editor: Given Redon's Symbolist leanings and personal experiences, I wonder if there is a commentary on impermanence? Flowers, traditionally symbols of beauty and vitality, are here tinged with a certain mortality. It makes me think of the transience of life and beauty in the face of a society undergoing significant cultural changes during the early 20th century. Curator: That's an interesting point. Thinking purely formally, one cannot overlook the use of colour. The fiery reds and yellows explode against the muted greens and browns, a vivid contrast, but the muted browns create a base reality from which the fiery colours spring to life, creating a balanced colour narrative. Editor: The flowers reach out like a hand toward something—there's an upward visual trajectory despite the heavy vase tying them to the earth. This painting prompts me to ask, in what way were people in 1910 striving? The colours seem to ask this question of vitality. Was this work displayed? Did it spark these sorts of dialogues? It invites the viewer to be active and reflexive. Curator: A remarkable attribute is the harmony that Redon achieves by blending seemingly dissonant hues. They shouldn't necessarily work together so successfully, yet they form a captivating whole. Editor: Yes, it resonates far beyond its ostensible subject matter, leading to contemplation of wider socio-political implications. Curator: It truly gives cause for much reflection. Editor: A conversation worth having, even now.