Vase with Red Poppies
 | |
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
|---|---|
| Year | 1886 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 56.0 cm × 46 cm (22.0 in × 18.3 in) |
| Location | Wadsworth Antheneum, Hartford, Connecticut |
Vase with Red Poppies was a painting made by Vincent van Gogh in Paris in 1886.
Flowers as a subject
Flowers were the subject of many of van Gogh's paintings in Paris, and one of his many interests due in great part to his regard for flowers.[1] As he said to his brother, "You will see that by making a habit of looking at Japanese pictures you will come to love to make up bouquets and do things with flowers all the more."[2] To his sister, Wil, van Gogh advised her to cultivate her own garden, like Voltaire's Candide, to find joy and meaning in life.[2] After he left Paris and settled in Arles, van Gogh painted his second group of Sunflowers in 1888 and 1889. His paintings of sunflowers in vases are among his most well known paintings.[3]
Flowers delivered to Van Gogh in Paris
In Paris friends and acquaintances sent bouquets of flowers weekly for his still life paintings.[1] He also purchased bouquets inexpensively, choosing flowers in a variety of colors for his paintings. In a letter to his sister Wil he wrote, "Last year I painted almost nothing but flowers so I could get used to colors other than grey - pink, soft or bright green, light blue, violet, yellow, glorious red." That was an exaggeration; during his time in Paris he painted 230 paintings, about 30 of which were flowers. Yet, the comment demonstrates his interest in painting flowers as a subject and to further develop his appreciation and understanding of color.[2]
References
- 1 2 Mancoff, D (1999). Van Gogh's Flowers. London: Frances Lincoln Limited. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7112-2908-2.
- 1 2 3 Mancoff, D (1999). Van Gogh's Flowers. London: Frances Lincoln Limited. pp. 26, 29. ISBN 978-0-7112-2908-2.
- ↑ Morton, M; Schmunk, P (2000). The Arts Entwined: Music and Painting in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Garland Publishing. pp. 177–178. ISBN 0-8153-3156-8.