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Etruscan Vase with Flowers by Odilon Redon

Odilon Redon · 1905-01-01

Odilon Redon's *Etruscan Vase with Flowers*, painted in 1905, showcases the French Symbolist's remarkable transition from monochromatic drawings to a vibrant, colorful palette. This tempera painting, now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies his later style.

Redon used tempera, a fast-drying medium, to create the painting's distinctive visual texture. Notice the thick, uneven brushstrokes, especially in the mottled background. This technique gives the entire composition a rough yet dreamlike quality, making the forms appear both substantial and ethereal.

By the early 20th century, Redon had moved away from his earlier 'noirs', charcoal drawings and lithographs, to embrace pastels and oils. This shift allowed him to explore subjective and imaginative realms, transforming everyday objects into vehicles for inner experience. His work is considered a precursor to Surrealism.

This painting invites us to look closely at how color and texture combine to create a world both real and imagined. What details draw your eye most?

Details

He achieved this dreamlike texture with tempera paint.
He achieved this dreamlike texture with tempera paint.
This quick application made forms feel substantial, yet ethereal.
This quick application made forms feel substantial, yet ethereal.
Even the delicate petals hold surprising depth.
Even the delicate petals hold surprising depth.
The vase itself is a rich terracotta color, but the painted scene on its surface depicts two dark, silhouetted figures, adding a layer of mystery and classical allusion.
The vase itself is a rich terracotta color, but the painted scene on its surface depicts two dark, silhouetted figures, adding a layer of mystery and classical allusion.
Transcript

This painter turned from dark drawings to vibrant color. He achieved this dreamlike texture with tempera paint. See the thick, uneven brushstrokes in the background. This quick application made forms feel substantial, yet ethereal. Even the delicate petals hold surprising depth. A trick of paint, making solids feel like visions.