Vase of Flowers, 1905
Odilon Redon (French, 1840-1916)

Known for his dark, velvety charcoal drawings and lithographs, Redon began to work predominantly in oil and pastel after1900, thus enlisting color in his explorations of the realm of dreams and the imagination. Like other Symbolists, Redon admired the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Baudelaire, who searched for alternative experiences beyond the limits of Realism and Impressionism. In this painting, Redon used his knowledge of botany as a starting point, but gave the flowers a sensuous form and heightened luminosity. In this way he fulfilled his ambition of conveying nature not objectively, but "as seen in a dream."