The Van Gogh Gallery Blog

During the August and September, when sunflowers are a hearty flower common in many areas, it is hard not to be reminded of Van Gogh.  Sunflowers have become an iconic symbol of the artist and his work.   Sunflowers were a popular subject in Van Gogh’s paintings when he moved to Arles, France; many of them he created to decorate Paul Gauguin’s room in the Yellow House in Arles. 

When writing to his brother Theo about Arles and the flowers in a letter from August 8, 1888, Van Gogh wrote

“Under the blue sky the orange, yellow, red splashes of the flowers take on an amazing brilliance, and in the limpid air there is a something or other happier, more lovely than in the North.”

It is not surprising that Van Gogh captured that happiness in some of his most famous Sunflower paintings which he created during his stay in Arles.  His most commonly known Sunflower paintings are the Sunflowers and the Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, but he created several other lesser known Sunflower paintings.  His earlier paintings containing sunflowers were done in Paris from 1886-1887.  These paintings do not have the same vibrant yellows as the Arles series has, but show his early development of this subject.   View a few of them here:

Letter Source:
http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/519.htm

In October of 1888, while living in The Yellow House in Arles, Van Gogh completed one of his most famous works The Bedroom.   Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles has a striking combination of colors that Van Gogh was proud of.  In a letter to his brother Theo from 1888, Van Gogh wrote:

“The walls are pale violet. The floor is of red tiles.  The wood of the bed and chairs is the yellow of fresh butter, the sheets and pillows very light greenish-citron.  The coverlet scarlet. The window green.  The toilet table orange, the basin blue.  The doors lilac.”

Today the original version of The Bedroom is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam although it is currently undergoing restoration.  While it is being restored; however, you can follow the entire restoration process on the Van Gogh Museum’s Bedroom Secrets blog. 

There are also two other versions of The Bedroom which Van Gogh painted.  One now hangs in The Art Institute of Chicago.  This one Van Gogh created in September of 1889 as a back-up copy of the first Bedroom painting.   The third version is located in Paris at the Musee d’Orsay and was created as a smaller version Van Gogh painted for his mother and sister.

Letter Source
Letter to Theo Van Gogh, October 1888

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is one of his most famous series of works.  He completed two separate series of still life paintings of Sunflowers the first in Paris in 1887 and the second adorned Gauguin’s room in Arles when he came to stay with Van Gogh at the yellow house.    In a letter to his brother Theo from August of 1888 Van Gogh writes about how quickly he had to work to complete his Sunflower paintings to decorate the Studio of the South,

“Now that I hope to live with Gauguin in a studio of our own, I want to make decorations for the studio. Nothing but big flowers. Next door to your shop, in the restaurant, you know there is a lovely decoration of flowers; I always remember the big sunflowers in the window there.

If I carry out this idea there will be a dozen panels. So the whole thing will be a symphony in blue and yellow. I am working at it every morning from sunrise on, for the flowers fade so soon, and the thing is to do the whole in one rush.”

Often synonymous with happiness and light, for Van Gogh Sunflowers also brought meaning of new hope for building his artist community in the Studio of the South.   The National Gallery website has an interesting section on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers which details Sunflowers as symbols of happiness and covers this period in Van Gogh’s life:
 
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers served as an inspiration for many other artists.  View other artists’ Sunflowers.

Throughout history artists have worked together and inspired each other.   Possibly one of the most recognized pairs of artists who had profound influences on each other was Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin.   One reason this is so well known is because of the collection of Van Gogh’s letters, which chronicles his artistic development first-hand, is an incredible record of the artist’s journey which we do not have in such great detail for many other artists.  In addition, Van Gogh and Gauguin lived and worked together in a yellow house in Arles during 1888 called the Studio of the South.  It was here that Van Gogh painted Sunflowers to decorate Gauguin’s room and here that the artists collaborated constantly learning from each other’s style and techniques.

The link between these two artists is so great that exhibitions have been held around these two artists and their influences on each other.   The Art Institute of Chicago had an exhibition a number of years ago called Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South.  On the site you will find information about the artists as well as a slide show and maps of Arles.  In addition, The Van Gogh Museum has an interactive site which provides quotes from letters and images of paintings by the artists.

Below are some of Van Gogh’s paintings from this time.

Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin, September, 1888

Paul Gauguin’s Armchair, December, 1888

Now is the perfect time to start planning your Van Gogh tour for next spring or summer.  There are many tour companies which offer bike tours of Van Gogh country in France and The Netherlands.  You can also rent bikes and plan your own tour in the steps of Van Gogh.  If cycling is not for you, many of the historic Van Gogh sites are easily accessible on foot or by car.  Catch dinner in Van Gogh’s last home at the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise, see the Irises outside of the Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, or sip coffee at the Café Terrace on the Place du Forum (pictured on the left), now named Café Van Gogh, in Arles.  Explore the beautiful countryside, and take in the historic sites that have been captured in some of Van Gogh’s most famous works.  Have you already toured the Van Gogh sites in Europe?  Comment and share your experiences or become a fan of Van Gogh Gallery on Facebook and share your Van Gogh tour photos with us.

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Van Gogh Goes Home

On the Road with Vincent

Bike Tours in France: Loire, Provence, Burgundy