Van gogh why sunflowers

When Van Gogh moved to Arles, he entered into a prolific period in which he infused his works with yellow hues. Several theories attempt to explain this. One asserts he overindulged in absinthe while another suggests he took too much digitalis.

Either substance could have tinted what he saw with yellow. The vibrant yellow oil paints in Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" were first made available early in the 19th century. He was among the first artists to fully embrace them. Van Gogh was not alone in his focus on sunflowers.

William Blake in the late s, Claude Monet in and Allen Ginsberg in are some of the other well-known artists and poets who evoked the sunflower image. Toggle navigation Vincent van Gogh. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

State of the Art Art history. Share using Email. By Alastair Sooke 21st January Alastair Sooke shows how these masterpieces came to be. Jenny Reynaerts, Spiegel van de werkelijkheid : 19de-eeuwse schilderkunst in Nederland , , p.

Martin Bailey, The sunflowers are mine : the story of Van Gogh's masterpiece , , p. Eliza E. Rathbone, William H. Robinson, Elizabeth Steele Travers Newton and Galina K.

Olmsted, Van Gogh's repetitions , , p. Marije Vellekoop ; with contrib. Walter Feilchenfeldt, Vincent van Gogh : the years in France : complete paintings : dealers, collectors, exhibitions, provenance , , p. Georg W. Carel Blotkamp Hammacher en Jan G. Research has provided a great deal of new information regarding the condition of Van Gogh's famous Sunflowers painting and the materials that were used.

More information. F-number F JH-number JH Object number sV Dimensions 95 cm x 73 cm, The complete works of Vincent van Gogh , , vol. Jan Hulsker, The new complete Van Gogh : paintings, drawings, sketches , , p. Van Gogh's sunflowers : the property of the late Mrs. Helen Chester Beatty , , p. Roland Dorn, Van Gogh's sunflowers series : the fifth toile de 30 , p. This is also the case for bubble number three. The leafy structure is yellow in the first piece and resides as light brown in the second piece.

The leaf located in bubble number four is nearly identical in both pieces; however in the first piece it is overlapped by the large drooping flower and is green in color. In the second piece there is a small but clear gap between the drooping flower and the leaf, and the leaf is black in color. Without the vibrancy of the new colors, such as chrome yellow, Van Gogh may never have achieved the intensity of Sunflowers.

Although Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are very similar in many aspects, each stands out as its own unique work of art. Van Gogh began painting sunflowers after he left Holland for France in pursuit of creating an artistic community. The firsts were created to decorate his friend Paul Gauguin's bedroom.