Flower Clouds

The evocative, symbolic art of Odilon Redon was inspired by his vivid imagination. For years he worked only in black and white, producing powerful and haunting charcoal drawings, lithographs, and etchings. Just as these black works, or Noirs, began to receive critical and public acclaim in the 1890s, Redon discovered the marvels of color through the use of pastel. His immersion in color and this new technique brought about a change in the artist's approach to his subject matter as well. Flower Clouds is one of a number of pastels executed around 1905 that are dominated by spiritual overtones. Here a sailboat bears two figures, perhaps two holy women, on a timeless journey through a fantastic, phosphorescent sea and sky. The dreamlike skiff may reflect Redon's internal voyage, replacing the dark turmoil of the earlier Noirs with a more hopeful vision. The luminous intensity of the pastels echoes the ardent spirituality of the theme.