The Green Vase (Le vase vert)

Redon is best known as a painter of imaginary, dream-like visions, but he was also an accomplished painter of floral still lifes. Particularly in the later years of his life, he produced large numbers of such works, using flowers cut from his garden at Bièvres, just outside of Paris. In this richly colorful painting, he represents poppies, daisies, cornflowers and roses in a glossy turquoise vase. The flowers convey Redon's sensitivity to nature while the flat areas of color in the background suggest his interest in more abstract pattern-making.