Grapes
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Paris, September-October 1887
oil on canvas,
33.0 cm x 46.3 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Which colour combinations create the strongest effect? This is one of Van Gogh's many studies of colour. He painted two types of grapes. Their colours are set off against strokes of paint in contrasting hues: blue against yellow and green against red.
Van Gogh often tested his colour combinations before painting, with threads of wool in various hues. Only after that would he use his valuable paint. He had an attractive red lacquer box in which he kept his balls of wool. That testing method was used for this painting.