Elena Rossi
Vincent van Gogh's sunflower paintings are some of his most famous works. He painted a total of eleven canvases, seven of which were painted in Arles in 1888-1889, and four in Paris in 1887. The artist was drawn to the rustic sunflower, seeing it as a symbol of light and an honest life lived in nature. Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are also tied to his relationship with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, whom he hoped to collaborate with as part of a new artistic association.
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's sunflower paintings as a symbol of friendship
Vincent van Gogh's sunflower paintings are among his most iconic and best-loved works. Van Gogh painted a total of eleven canvases, with sunflowers as the primary subject, in two series. The first series, executed in Paris in 1887, depicts the flowers lying on the ground, while the second set, made a year later in Arles, shows a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase.
The sunflower paintings were intended to decorate the guest room of his home in Arles, where his friend Paul Gauguin was supposed to stay. Van Gogh hoped that Gauguin's arrival would be the first step in forming a new 'association' of like-minded artists, a 'Studio in the South'. In a letter to his brother, Theo, Van Gogh wrote: "I'm painting with the gusto of a Marseillais eating bouillabaisse, which won't surprise you when it's a question of painting large sunflowers."
The sunflower had various meanings for Van Gogh. He once declared, "the sunflower is mine," and it became synonymous with him, just as he had hoped. The sunflower, which Van Gogh initially saw as decorative, became something almost sacred to him, representing light itself and an ideal of an honest life lived in nature. The vibrant yellow hues of the sunflower paintings were made possible by newly invented pigments, and Van Gogh was among the first artists to fully embrace them.
The paintings also show sunflowers in all stages of life, from full bloom to withering, following the vanitas tradition of Dutch seventeenth-century flower paintings, which emphasise the transient nature of human actions. The sunflowers were perhaps intended to be a symbol of friendship and a celebration of the beauty and vitality of nature. This interpretation is supported by the fact that Van Gogh's friends brought sunflowers to his funeral, and Gauguin painted a portrait of Van Gogh titled "The Painter of Sunflowers."
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The vibrant yellow hues in Van Gogh's sunflower paintings
Vincent van Gogh painted a total of eleven canvases of sunflowers, with seven painted in Arles in 1888-1889 and five painted previously in Paris in 1887. The vibrant yellow hues in Van Gogh's sunflower paintings were made possible by newly invented pigments that allowed for new colours. Van Gogh was among the first artists to fully embrace these vibrant yellow oil paints, which became available in the early 19th century.
The sunflower paintings were considered innovative for their use of the yellow spectrum, and Van Gogh's interest in the colour yellow intensified when he moved to Arles. Several theories attempt to explain this. One theory suggests that he overindulged in absinthe, while another indicates that he took too much digitalis. Either substance could have tinted his vision with yellow.
Van Gogh's use of vibrant yellow hues in his sunflower paintings was also influenced by his desire to decorate his house in Arles with sunflower paintings in preparation for a visit from his friend and fellow artist, Paul Gauguin. He intended to impress Gauguin with his sunflower paintings, which would adorn the guest bedroom in his Yellow House in Arles.
The yellow hues in Van Gogh's sunflower paintings also carried symbolic meaning for the artist. The sunflower, once seen as merely decorative by Van Gogh, became something almost sacred to him, representing light itself and an ideal of an honest life lived in nature. This symbolism is reflected in his use of vibrant yellow hues to capture the rustic strength and sturdiness of the sunflower, reflecting the roughness and unpolishedness of the real countryside.
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Van Gogh's sunflower paintings as a symbol of light and an honest life
Vincent van Gogh's sunflower paintings are among his most iconic and beloved works, and the artist himself considered them special. He painted a total of eleven canvases, with the seven he painted while in Arles in 1888-1889 being the most well-known. The other four were created earlier in Paris in 1887.
Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are a symbol of light and an honest life. To the artist, the "rustic sunflower" represented something almost sacred. In a letter to his brother, Theo, he wrote: "I'm painting with the gusto of a Marseillais eating bouillabaisse, which won't surprise you when it's a question of painting large sunflowers." The vibrant yellow hues of the sunflowers, which were made possible by newly invented pigments, were a source of inspiration for Van Gogh, who saw them as a symbol of nature's beauty and vitality.
The sunflower paintings were intended to decorate his house in Arles, specifically the guest room where his friend and fellow artist, Paul Gauguin, would stay. Van Gogh admired Gauguin's work and hoped that his visit would be the first step in forming a community of like-minded artists. He wanted to impress Gauguin with the sunflower paintings, and they later exchanged paintings, with Gauguin creating a portrait of Van Gogh titled "The Painter of Sunflowers."
The sunflowers held personal significance for Van Gogh, representing an ideal of an honest life lived in nature. During a dark period when he was in an asylum, he longed for the countryside of his upbringing in rural Netherlands. He once revealed to Theo that during his illness, he envisioned the house and garden in Zundert, which he had previously painted from memory, including sunflowers in the flower-filled garden.
The sunflower paintings also reflect Van Gogh's artistic experimentation and his desire to introduce more colour into his work. He worked quickly to capture the flowers before they faded, and his rapid execution contributed to the expressive style that characterises these paintings.
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The number of sunflower paintings Van Gogh created
Vincent van Gogh painted a total of eleven canvases of sunflowers, with the seven he painted while in Arles in 1888-1889 being the most well-known. The other five were painted earlier when he was in Paris in 1887. The series is perhaps Van Gogh's best-known and most widely reproduced work.
Van Gogh's sunflower paintings were considered innovative for their use of the yellow spectrum, made possible by newly invented pigments. The vibrant yellow oil paints in his "Sunflowers" were first made available in the early 19th century, and he was among the first artists to fully embrace them. The sunflower took on a special significance for Van Gogh, becoming his personal artistic signature. He once declared, "the sunflower is mine," and the flower came to represent light itself and an ideal of an honest life lived in nature.
Van Gogh's sunflower paintings were part of his still-life works, and he intended to decorate his house in Arles with them in readiness for a visit from his friend and fellow artist, Paul Gauguin. He also planned to combine two sunflower paintings with his portrait of Madame Roulin, called "La Berceuse" (1888-1889), to form a triptych—the Virgin Mary framed by vibrant bouquets. The two sunflower paintings were to be the 'yellow panels' that would intensify the colours of the portrait.
Van Gogh painted the first four versions of his sunflowers in just one week, working quickly before the flowers faded. He wrote to his brother Theo, "I am painting with the gusto of a Marseillaise eating bouillabaisse [...] If I carry out this idea there will be a dozen panels. So the whole thing will be a symphony in blue and yellow." The first two paintings to be completed were the one now in a private collection and another that was destroyed by bombing during World War II. The second two paintings, "Fourteen Sunflowers" (Munich) and the National Gallery's picture, are considered the most important of the series.
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Van Gogh's sunflower paintings as still life
Vincent van Gogh's sunflower paintings are a series of still life paintings, with sunflowers as the central subject. Van Gogh painted a total of eleven canvases, with sunflowers as the main focus, although he also painted sunflowers as part of other still life and landscape paintings. The sunflower paintings were created in two groups, with seven painted in Arles in 1888-1889, and four painted in Paris in 1887.
The first series, painted in Paris, show the flowers lying on the ground, while the second series, made in Arles, depicts a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase. Van Gogh's sunflower paintings show the flowers at different stages of their life cycle, from buds to mature flowers, to wilting and decaying. The artist was drawn to the rustic sunflower, seeing it as a symbol of an honest life lived in nature, and a representation of light.
Van Gogh's sunflower paintings were part of his plan to decorate his house in Arles, in preparation for a visit from his friend and fellow artist, Paul Gauguin. He wanted to create a 'decoration for the studio' with 'nothing but large sunflowers'. The sunflower paintings were intended to impress Gauguin, and two of the Paris versions were acquired by him. Van Gogh also intended to pair two sunflower paintings with his portrait of Madame Roulin, also known as 'La Berceuse', to form a triptych.
The vibrant yellow hues of the sunflower paintings were made possible by newly invented pigments, and Van Gogh was among the first artists to fully embrace these new colours. The paintings are considered innovative for their use of the yellow spectrum, and their bold, expressive style.
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Frequently asked questions
Van Gogh painted a total of eleven canvases of sunflowers, seven of which were painted in Arles in 1888-1889, and four in Paris in 1887.
Van Gogh was inspired to paint sunflowers by his friend Paul Gauguin, who acquired two of the Paris versions. Van Gogh later took the sunflower as his own artistic signature, telling his brother Theo in a letter in 1889, "the sunflower is mine".
Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are displayed in museums and galleries across the world, including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the National Gallery in London, the Sompo Museum of Art in Tokyo, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
