Flore Sous Marine 

Odilon Redon created "Flore Sous Marine" with pastel and charcoal. Redon was working in a period where there were many scientific discoveries, and also increased travel allowing people to see more of the world. Redon's unique approach challenges the traditional conventions of still life. He constructs an ambiguous space and populates it with surreal aquatic floral arrangements. There is the blue flower, and the mass of white tendrils. Everything appears to float. The piece evokes the dreamlike quality of the subconscious, tapping into the emotional and psychological dimensions of the human experience. There are traditional representations such as flowers, but they are set adrift. Redon said, "I have often applied myself to the deformation of nature, to lend credence to the verisimilitude of the imaginary". In a time of colonial expansion, the underwater scene becomes a symbol of the exploration of the unconscious mind. It’s a space of potential, hidden from plain sight, where the familiar and the alien meet. The work invites us to imagine the depths of our inner worlds.