The Buddha
1904 · Distemper on canvas · Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
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About this work
- Artist
- Odilon Redon (1840–1916)
- Year
- 1904
- Medium
- Distemper on canvas
- Original size
- 159.8 × 121.1 cm
- Collection
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
- Movement
- Symbolism
A figure in a saffron robe sits in profile beneath the trunk of a large tree, eyes lowered, almost dissolving into the pale ground. Around him float imaginary flowers and seed heads in blue, coral, yellow and green, scattered across a soft beige field. Redon, who was fascinated by Buddhism, painted this tall panel in 1904 as part of a decorative scheme for the Amsterdam home of the collector Andries Bonger, where it filled a whole wall beside a window. Bonger bought it from the artist in 1905, and it stayed with his family until the Dutch State acquired it for the Van Gogh Museum in 1996.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Soft beige, saffron and scattered jewel colours make a calm, meditative picture for a bedroom, yoga room or reading corner. Hang it with Van Gogh's Almond Blossom, also in the Van Gogh Museum, at 24×36 in a dark wood frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Symbolism painting
- Era
- 20th century (1904)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- bedroom, study or library, living room, dining room, dorm room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
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 The Buddha in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Buddha painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
