Homage to Leonardo da Vinci 1908

Odilon Redon made this painting, 'Homage to Leonardo da Vinci,' using oil on canvas, layering dreamy blues, greens, and yellows. I can only imagine the physical act of painting it, Redon shifting and adjusting, adding layers of color until this vision materialized. There’s this figure, maybe Mary, draped in intense blue, head bowed in contemplation. Beside her is a strange round fruit-like form with a dark opening. It looks like something out of a dream, doesn’t it? Redon worked with thin paint and a slightly blurred edge to create this ethereal and unsettling effect. It's like he's inviting us into his subconscious. The whole painting trembles between worlds, a bit like Leonardo's sfumato does. I imagine Redon, lost in thought, grappling with the legacy of Leonardo, not trying to copy him, but to converse with him. Artists are always in conversation with each other, echoing and responding across time. Painting is so deeply personal, isn't it? Redon leaves so much open, and I think that openness is what makes it so inviting.