“The painting illustrates a particular moment in the play, in which Ophelia finds her way to the brook, where she meets her end amongst the flowers that she has gathered. This moment, though frequently figured as a descent into madness, can also be interpreted as an escape from the patriarchal dominance that has moulded her into the person that she eventually becomes. In the final moments of Ophelia’s life, as represented in the painting, it can be said that she is finally at one with not only nature, but with herself. In death, she finds that what she has been searching for, she finds herself. Reflected beautifully by the imaginative form of the art, the density of the painting can be viewed as a portal into the demise of this tragic heroine, as she finally overcomes the conflict that has hindered her existence, a victory to be found only in death.”

Gillian Murtagh in The London Magazine

Learn More

• Odilon Redon’s ‘Ophelia among the Flowers’, : The National Gallery UK
• Ophelia Among the Flowers by Redon at The London Magazine

See More

• Works by or about Odilon Redon at Internet Archive
• Artcyclopedia – Links to Redon’s works
• The Athenaeum – Extensive list and images of Redon’s works
• Museum Syndicate – Odilon Redon Gallery at Museum Syndicate
• Web Museum – Biography and images of Redon’s works
• Odilon Redon at the Museum of Modern Art
• www.odilon-redon.org – Site with 322 images by Odilon Redon
• TheArtStory.org
• Musee d’Orsay Around Redon – biography and works

Thanks for Visiting 🙂

~Sunnyside