24 Mar The 7 best works of Van Gogh and where to see them
On a day like today in 1853, the iconic and renowned Dutch post-impressionist painter was born, who came to create 900 paintings and more than 1,600 drawings.
The most common scenes made them immortal. She made sense of the smallest detail. She provided color even immersed in a life full of darkness. Vincent van Gogh was born on a day like today in 1853 in Zundert (The Netherlands) and dedicated his life to painting, becoming, almost without knowing it, the main exponent of post-impressionism: he made 900 paintings and more than 1,600 drawings. Among his canvases by him, he came to paint 43 self-portraits, among which the one from 1889 that is exhibited at the Musée d’Orsay (Paris) stands out. With great technique and fundamental quality, Van Gogh lived in misery to gain recognition after his death from him and give us the most precious works on the world art scene.
“The Sunflowers” (1888)
One of the passions that the painter captured in his paintings is related to nature. The Dutchman made a series of 4 oil paintings on sunflowers: two with 12 pieces, one with 3, and another with 5. He painted them during his stay in Arles, in the south of France, in 1888, using the chrome yellow pigment, the characteristic color of the artwork. Each work is located in a different place: one of those with 12 sunflowers is in the Neue Pinakothek (Munich), another in the National Gallery in London, while another is located in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam or in the Museum of Art of Philadelphia.
“Cafe terrace at night” (1888)
Also made in Arles, in this iconic work Van Gogh represents, as its name suggests, the atmosphere of a terrace under the light of the stars. He offers the viewer two of his hallmarks of him: warm colors and depth of perspective. Likewise, it is included among the paintings that Van Gogh dedicated to the darkness of the night. The original of this painting can be seen in the Kröller-Müller Museum, in Otterlo (The Netherlands).
“The bedroom in Arles” (1888)
Van Gogh dedicated three paintings to the place where he rested in Arles. All three are identical. The first is kept in the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam). While the others are exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The latter did it in a smaller version for his family. Almost everything that is known about Van Gogh is thanks to the letters he wrote to his brother Theo and, about this painting, he commented: “The pale lilac walls, the floor a worn and dull red, the yellow chairs and bed chrome, the very pale lemon green pillows and sheet, the blood-red blanket, the orange dressing table, the blue basin, the green window. He had wanted to express absolute repose by all these various tones”.
“The Cafe at Night” (1888)
The aforementioned was not the only work that the Dutch dedicated to the nightlife of a cafeteria. This cafe that he made in September 1888 is, in fact, one of the most iconic of his works. It is located in the Arre Gallery of Yale University and represents the café of the Arles station. But Van Gogh was not the only one who portrayed this space, as Paul Gauguin, who met the previous one in Arles, also painted this café, although later: in November 1888.
“The Starry Night” (1889)
Whoever does not know this painting, even by glancing or by hearsay, cannot know Van Gogh. It is possibly the most relevant and recognized work of his worldwide. Painted in June 1889, it represents the view from the window of his room in Saint Rémy de Provence. A commune in France. Van Gogh spent part of his life there, in an asylum, after self-mutilating his left ear. And was there that he made some of his best-known works. The original work of ” The Starry Night” is located in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
“Wheatfield with cypresses” (1889)
He also performed it during his admission to the Saint Rémy Psychiatric Hospital. Through her window, he not only discovered the stars at night but also developed a passion for cypress trees. In a letter to his brother from him Theo he wrote: “The cypresses continue to worry me. I would like to do something with them, like the paintings of sunflowers. Because I am surprised that no one has painted them the way I see them yet”. And so he did: this “Wheatfield with Cypresses” can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
“Almond Tree in Bloom” (1890)
This oil on canvas was also born from the passions that Van Gogh developed in the asylum. To make it, he was inspired by Japanese woodcut, resulting in a beautiful work of art in which flowering branches contrast against a blue sky. He gave it to his brother from him Theo after learning of the birth of Vincent Willem, his nephew from him. The original is currently on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
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