Wheatfield under thunderclouds, 1890Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
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In Auvers, Van Gogh choose to paint a large number of landscapes on canvases of an exceptional format, 100 x 50 centimetres. A letter to Theo describes the sadness and loneliness he wished these paintings to express, but also his desire to show how ‘healthy and heartening’ he found the countryside.
For the last two months of his life, Van Gogh lived in Auvers-sur-Oise. In late July 1890, he shot himself in the chest, and he died in the presence of his brother Theo.
In Auvers, Van Gogh painted a large number of landscapes with wheatfields, all on unusual, elongated canvases (50 x 100 cm). He wrote to Theo about two of these works: “They depict vast, distended wheatfields under angry skies, and I deliberately tried to express sadness and extreme loneliness in them.” But these pictures also had a positive side: “I am almost certain that these canvases illustrate what I cannot express in words, that is, how healthy and reassuring I find the countryside.” Was this also true of the Wheatfield with Crows? Unfortunately, this will probably always remain a mystery.
Wheatfield under Thunderclouds
