Flower Clouds
c. 1903 · Pastel, with touches of stumping, incising, and brushwork, on blue-gray wove paper with multi-colored fibers altered to tan, perimeter mounted to cardboard · Art Institute of Chicago
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About this work
- Artist
- Odilon Redon (1840–1916)
- Year
- c. 1903
- Medium
- Pastel, with touches of stumping, incising, and brushwork, on blue-gray wove paper with multi-colored fibers altered to tan, perimeter mounted to cardboard
- Original size
- 44.5 × 54.2 cm
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Movement
- Symbolism
A small sailing boat with a tall grey sail glides across a still sea, two figures seated in its stern, while the sky above breaks into clouds of orange, violet, blue and coral that look like massed flowers. Their colours are reflected in the water below. Redon drew the pastel around 1903 on blue-grey paper. The Art Institute of Chicago suggests the passengers may be two saintly women on a timeless journey and reads the boat as an image of Redon's inner voyage, a hopeful turn after the dark charcoal drawings of his early career. It was shown at the Salon d'Automne of 1905 under the title Marine.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Orange, violet and deep blue over a dark hull make a glowing picture for a living room, study or bedroom. Pair it with Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhône at 24×18 in a dark wood frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 20th century (c. 1903)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- calm
- Rooms
- living room, bedroom, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×18. Prints at 16×12, 24×18, 32×24 in — 16×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×18 above a console or sideboard; 32×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Flower Clouds in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Flower Clouds painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
