Artwork
Vase of Flowers
Vase of Flowers is a drawing by Odilon Redon. It dates from 1916 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This pastel drawing presents a vibrant arrangement of poppies, peonies and daisies spilling from a modest glass vase.
About this work
Overview
This pastel drawing presents a vibrant arrangement of poppies, peonies and daisies spilling from a modest glass vase. The composition is dominated by luminous hues that give each petal an inner glow, creating a serene yet striking still‑life. The work exemplifies the artist’s late‑period focus on bright, natural subjects, contrasting sharply with his earlier, more somber imagery.
Subject & Meaning
The bouquet, rendered with meticulous attention to colour and form, reflects a preoccupation with the fleeting beauty of nature that occupied the artist in his final years. By choosing common garden flowers, the piece underscores a universal appeal, inviting viewers to contemplate the vitality of everyday objects through an almost reverent visual language.
Technique & Style
Executed in pastel, the drawing employs layered, soft strokes that allow colors to merge without hard outlines, producing a subtle atmospheric effect reminiscent of sfumato. This approach enables the petals to appear as if they emit light from within, while the delicate handling of the glass vase conveys transparency through nuanced tonal shifts.
History & Provenance
purchased the piece, later loaning it to the 1939 New York World’s Fair where it represented the artist’s oeuvre.
The work entered the United States through the efforts of New York‑Paris dealer Jacques Seligmann, a key figure in introducing 19th‑century French art to American collectors. In 1937, philanthropist Leonard C. Hanna Jr. purchased the piece, later loaning it to the 1939 New York World’s Fair where it represented the artist’s oeuvre. Its exhibition highlighted the growing American interest in Redon’s late pastel works.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Bertrand-Jean Redon on 20 April 1840 in Bordeaux, the artist adopted the name Odilon from his mother, Marie-Odile.
