Van Gogh’s Irises

In May of 1889, Van Gogh admitted himself to the asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France.  In his final year of life, he painted some 130 works.  Within the first week at the asylum, he began to paint Irises; the subject matter was inspired by the asylum’s garden to the south of the men’s…

Van Gogh in May

The month of May was typically a productive month for Van Gogh with improvements in the weather and the flowers and trees in full bloom. In a letter to his brother Theo from May of 1888, Van Gogh wrote about the first painting shown below stating: “A meadow full of very yellow buttercups, a ditch…

Van Gogh Irises

Van Gogh completed Irises in May of 1889 when he was at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. Here he eased back into painting capturing flowers and foliage in the surrounding garden and the star filled nights from his window. In a letter to his brother Theo from May of 1889, Van Gogh wrote: “The idea of…