Stained Glass Window (Allegory) 1908

This riot of color is Odilon Redon’s ‘Stained Glass Window (Allegory)’, and I can only imagine what it might have been like to coax those dreamlike flowers into being, one daub of paint at a time. Redon was a master of mood, and here, the thick swirls of pigment conjure a world that’s both beautiful and a little unsettling. The surface is alive, like a garden blooming before our eyes, or perhaps a memory resurfacing. Take that poppy on the upper left. It's rendered with such a loose touch, such a delicate balance between representation and abstraction. It almost feels like it could float right off the canvas! I see how Redon must have been thinking about more than just pretty pictures. These colors are heavy with feeling, like a conversation with the old masters, but also a step into something entirely new. And when we look at this painting, we’re continuing that conversation, adding our own voices to the mix.