Brilliant and startling, this simple vase of sunflowers explodes with razor-sharp vibrancy. The brushstrokes have been laden with thick paint, which Van Gogh applied like a sculptor slapping clay on to a relief. The colours — shades of yellow and brown — and the technique express a beautiful world of hope and of sunlight. At the time this work was painted, however, such a world was slipping slowly but relentlessly from the painter’s desperate grasp. Perhaps the surface of the painting — agitated, almost manic — reflects the artist’s state of mind as he neared the end of his tragically short life. A painter who loved nature and could see pure beauty in simple things, Van Gogh stated that he would rather paint trees seen from a window than imaginary visions. A Dutchman by birth, Van Gogh ended his emotionally fraught life on 29 July i 890 in the French town of Auvers-sur-Oise.
Sunflowers
Oil On Canvas, 92 x 73 cm
Oil On Canvas, 92 x 73 cm
Vincent Van Gogh,
1888
