Irises
by Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853 - 1890)
Painting
In May of 1890, just before his release from the asylum at St. Remy, Van Gogh painted four bouquets of flowers, two roses and two irises. The painting above and one entitled Roses, also on display at the Metropolitan, were gifts to his mother, paintings she kept until the day she died. It's not known whether the use of a fugitive - or impermanent - red pigment was deliberate or not, but the background to this painting was once pink but over time has faded to nearly white.
Page created on 8/27/2014 7:09:28 PM
Last edited 3/18/2019 7:55:04 PM
