Red Cabbages and Onions
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Paris, October-November 1887
oil on canvas,
50.2 cm x 64.3 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Van Gogh could not have chosen a simpler subject: some onions and a few red cabbages. But by working with colour contrasts, he was able to turn them into something special.
It's important to realise that the colours in this still life have changed over time. The tablecloth is now greyish-blue but was originally purple. That formed a strong contrast with the yellow of the onions and of the right upper background.