Fig. 13.Flower Clouds, c. 1903

Fig. 13.Flower Clouds, c. 1903. Pastel, with touches of stumping, incising, and brushwork, on blue-gray wove paper with multi-colored fibers faded to tan, perimeter mounted to cardboard; 44.5 x 54.2 cm. The Art Institute of Chicago.
In Flower Clouds, c. 1903 (Figure 13), the entire background is composed of striations and brush strokes of pastel. Once he fixed these passages, Redon incised and further manipulated them with a brush to selectively uncover the underlying pastel colors.