Artwork
Flowers in a Vase
Flowers in a Vase is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Odilon Redon. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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- Inscribed:lower right: ODILON REDON
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Redon’s careful rendering emphasizes the flower’s delicate anatomy and subtle tonal shifts, inviting contemplation of its fleeting beauty.
The painting presents a solitary blossom rendered in oil on canvas, classified as a still‑life. Redon’s careful rendering emphasizes the flower’s delicate anatomy and subtle tonal shifts, inviting contemplation of its fleeting beauty. As a floral subject, the work aligns with the artist’s interest in exploring the natural world through a symbolic lens, where the flower can suggest transience and the quiet presence of the ephemeral.
The composition isolates the blossom against a muted background, allowing color and form to convey a sense of quiet reverence.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1910, the still life Flowers in a Vase entered a Paris private collection by at least 1959. It was consigned from this collection by Jacques Laroche and sold in 1965 to Wildenstein & Co., New York. The firm then transferred the work to Ailsa Mellon Bruce on 20 January 1966. After her death, it was bequeathed in 1970 to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
No record indicates a commission; the work appears to have been created and first recorded in the artist’s late period.
Flowers in a Vase is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum's holdings in 1970 as a bequest from Ailsa Mellon Bruce, who had purchased it from Wildenstein & Co. in New York on January 20, 1966. Prior to its acquisition by Bruce, the painting was part of a private collection in Paris, where it was lent to an exhibition in London in 1959. The provenance records indicate the work may have previously belonged to Jacques Laroche before being sold to the New York dealer in 1965.
Overview
Odilon Redon's painting, Flowers in a Vase, created around 1910, is an oil on canvas still life. The composition features a vase holding a floral arrangement, positioned on a surface. This work exemplifies Redon's engagement with the genre, presenting a seemingly straightforward subject through his distinctive artistic approach.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, Flowers in a Vase showcases Redon's handling of the medium. The artist employed soft, delicate color tones, which contribute significantly to the painting's serene atmosphere. This approach to building color and light, potentially incorporating techniques such as glazing, aligns with methods used by various artists to achieve luminous and nuanced effects in their work.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Odilon Redon (born Bertrand Redon; French: ; 20 April 1840 – 6 July 1916) was a French Symbolist draftsman, printmaker, and painter.
