Irises

Van Gogh painted Irises in May 1889, during his first week at the asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, where he had voluntarily admitted himself after the breakdown that led to the mutilation of his ear. He was 36 years old and had been painting for less than a decade, but he had already produced the work that would make him the most influential painter of the late 19th century. Irises was one of the first paintings he made at the asylum, and it is one of his most beautiful and most serene works. The painting shows a bed of irises in the garden of the asylum, with the flowers painted in deep violet, blue, and purple against a ground of warm earth tones. The irises are arranged in a loose, naturalistic pattern, with the flowers at different stages of bloom: some fully open, some still in bud, some already fading. A single white iris stands out at the left, its pale petals contrasting with the deep blues and purples of the other flowers. The ground is painted in thick, directional strokes of red, orange, and brown, with the soil described by the texture of the paint. Van Gogh painted Irises in the garden of the asylum, working from direct observation. He had arrived at Saint-Remy on May 8, 1889, and he was allowed to use a studio and to paint in the garden. He wrote to his brother Theo: 'I am doing two canvases representing big bunches of violet irises, one lot against a pink background, the other against a citron yellow background.' The painting was made in the first week of his stay, before the first attack that would interrupt his work for weeks at a time. Irises is one of the most expensive paintings ever sold. It was bought by the Getty Museum in 1990 for $53.9 million, making it at the time the second most expensive painting ever sold, after Van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet. The painting has been at the Getty ever since, where it is one of the most popular works in the collection. The painting is often compared to Van Gogh's Sunflowers, which was painted the previous year in Arles. Both paintings show flowers in a garden, and both are built on a combination of careful observation and expressive color. But where Sunflowers is built on warm yellows and oranges, Irises is built on cool blues and violets, giving it a more contemplative, more melancholy quality. Oil on canvas, 71 by 93 centimeters. Van Gogh painted with thick, directional strokes, building the irises in layers of deep violet, blue, and purple. The flowers are painted in quick, curving strokes that describe the forms of the petals, with the highlights applied in thick strokes of pure white and pale blue. The ground is painted in thick, broken strokes of red, orange, and brown, with the soil suggested by the texture of the paint. The single white iris is painted in thick strokes of pure white, which stand out against the dark flowers. The surface has the rich, encrusted quality of a painting made with great energy and conviction. The vertical format and rich palette make this print work well in a living room, bedroom, or hallway. The deep blues, violets, and warm earth tones pair with white walls, natural wood, and rooms with a warm or contemplative mood. The 16x20 or 18x24 size gives the flowers room to read. The painting has a serene, luminous quality that suits rooms with a personal or reflective mood. This is a public domain artwork from the J. Paul Getty Museum. We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 18x24 inches, framed or unframed.