Design for a Prayer Rug 1909

This is 'Design for a Prayer Rug' by Odilon Redon, now at the Musée d'Orsay, and I can imagine him making this. The whole thing shimmers with a warm, complex palette of reds, oranges, yellows, and blues. You know, when I look at this painting, I see Redon's hand moving, almost dancing, across the surface. There's a kind of searching, a push and pull between control and letting go. The central blue panel, with its stylized floral form, feels like a deep dive into the subconscious. The way Redon layers color upon color creates a sense of depth and luminosity, as if the rug is glowing from within. And those delicate floral patterns around the border – they remind me of Matisse, but with a touch of Symbolist mystery. It's like Redon is inviting us to enter a dream, a space of contemplation and wonder. Definitely the kind of piece that makes you want to respond to it.