Irises

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, May 1890

oil on canvas, 92.7 cm x 73.9 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Please note: this painting is currently travelling to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA for the exhibition Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art (10 March until 27 June 2019).

Van Gogh painted this still life in the psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy. For him, the painting was mainly a study in colour. He set out to achieve a powerful colour contrast. By placing the purple flowers against a yellow background, he made the decorative forms stand out even more strongly. The irises were originally purple. But as the red pigment has faded, they have turned blue. Van Gogh made two paintings of this bouquet. In the other still life, he contrasted purple and pink with green.

F-number

F0678

JH-number

JH1977

Object number

s0050V1962

Credits (obliged to state)

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Dimensions

92.7 cm x 73.9 cm, 111.5 cm x 92.9 cm