Nature has endowed irises with all the colors of the rainbow: pink and bronze-crimson, azure and sapphire, lilac and purple-cherry, lemon and orange-yellow, snow-white and bluish-black. The ancient Greeks called the rainbow an iris, and then they began to call a flower similar to a rainbow in color an iris, considering the flowers to be fragments of a rainbow that fell to the ground. Irises have beautiful not only flowers, but also leaves that remain green until late autumn.
There are so many irises on earth! The dwarf iris, for example, rises only a few centimeters above the ground, and its purple flowers They seem to be stuck straight into the ground. But the lavender-blue or snow-white flowers of the giant blue iris with evergreen leaves flaunt almost a planted height.
Flowers have been known in culture for over two thousand years and are revered not only for the beauty of the flowers, but also for the aroma of the root, extracts from which are used in the manufacture of high-quality perfumes, liqueurs, wines and confectionery.
On the island of Crete, among the paintings of the Knossos Palace, a fresco depicts a priest surrounded by blooming irises. This fresco is about 4000 years old. Iris flowers are imprinted in the stone of Oriental and Roman galleries and balustrades. In the Middle Ages, they grew in the gardens of castles and monasteries, from where they were transferred to the gardens of townspeople. Even in ancient times, Arabs planted wild iris with white flowers on graves. And in Ancient Egypt he was bred back in XVI-XV centuries BC, and he was there a symbol of eloquence. In Arabia, on the contrary, they were a symbol of silence and sadness.
The flower "iris" received its name from the hands of the famous healer Hippocrates, who gave the name to the plant in honor ancient greek goddess Iris proclaiming will to people olympian gods. The goddess Iris descended along a rainbow to the earth, which is why the word “Iris” translated from Greek means rainbow. Carl Linnaeus, who proposed a unified system of scientific names for plants, retained its ancient name for the iris.
Florence was named so by the Romans only because irises grew in abundance around this Etruscan settlement, and the Latin “Florence” means “blooming”. Since then, the Florentine iris has graced the city coat of arms of Florence.
This type of iris has also become famous for the fact that for a long time they learned to extract fragrant essential oil with the aroma of violets from its rhizome. That is why the rhizome of this iris is called orris root. This natural fragrance was used in royal dressing rooms as early as the 15th century. From 1 kg of rhizomes, an average of 7 g of essential oil is obtained, which is used in perfumery. Fragrant substances are also extracted from flowers.
As a religious symbol, the iris first appears in the paintings of the early Flemish masters, and in images of the Virgin Mary it is present both with and instead of the lily. This symbolic meaning is due to the fact that the name “iris” means “lily with a sword,” which is seen as an allusion to Mary’s grief for Christ.
For Christians, the iris symbolizes purity and protection, but it also became a symbol of sorrow and pain, the reason for which was its sharp wedge-shaped leaves, which seemed to personify the suffering and sadness of the Mother of God’s heart from the suffering of Christ. The blue iris is especially common as such a symbol in images of the Virgin. The iris can also symbolize the virgin birth.
Did you know that irises were Monet’s special pride? He planted them tirelessly and everywhere.
In Rus', among the names of iris (cockerels, magpie flowers, luziki, braids), the most common is the gentle “kasatik”, that is, dear, beloved, desired.
In Japanese families, in traditional holiday boys, prepared from iris flowers magic talisman, which should instill courage in the soul of a young man. IN Japanese the words “iris” and “warrior spirit” are denoted by one hieroglyph. Even the iris leaves look like a sword.
Claude Monet - Iris Garden at Giverny, 1899-1900
Claude Monet - Flowerbed with Irises in the Artist's Garden, 1900
Claude Monet - Garden (Irises), 1900
Claude Monet - Lilac Irises, 1916-1917
Vincent Van Gogh - Blooming Irises, 1889
This famous painting Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh was created by him in 1889. "Irises" became one of latest works great master. A year later, Van Gogh died. At the time of working on the painting, the painter was already terminally ill. He was constantly under the supervision of doctors in a clinic for the mentally ill. This clinic was located near the picturesque town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Perhaps the illness had such an impact on Van Gogh’s creative style, but the picture turned out to be completely different from everything that the artist had painted so far. This is not the Van Gogh they knew. There is no tension, anxiety in the canvas, thick colors and warm olive-mustard shades. On the contrary, there is some kind of lightness, airiness and transparent weightlessness. The painting's manner of execution is reminiscent of Japanese prints.
The artist chose an unusual angle for his painting. Flowers fill almost the entire surface of the canvas. It seems that you are squatting in the middle of a field, in the thick of flowers. But the image does not look frozen, static. The composition is built in such a way that the gaze involuntarily rushes diagonally up and to the left. There is also a kind of symmetry in “Irises”. So the patch of soil in the foreground is balanced by the orange-yellow buds in the upper left corner. White iris and pale blue support the horizontal of the picture.
Influence Japanese painting noticeable, first of all, in the depiction of irises. The same clarity and subtlety of graceful lines, the same solid color filling of individual details. But the picture is not completely consistent in this style. Here you can also see the influence of impressionism. And the most amazing thing is that such mixing does not violate the harmony of the image at all. It only adds uniqueness and attractive charm to Van Gogh’s creation.
Vincent Van Gogh - Irises. Saint-Rémy, May 1890
The painting “Irises” by Vincent van Gogh was painted by the artist in 1890. Today the still life is kept in the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Van Gogh's still life "Irises" is characterized by a contrasting image of yellow and blue colors, their special color combination. Irises have a soft, round shape, partly echoing the smooth, blurred outlines of the vase. The image of irises resembles a wave-like colorful flow of color, which recreates the atmosphere of dynamics, flow, and transfusion of the coloristic energy of the canvas. At the same time, the impression of fragility, airiness, and “porosity” of the drawing is born.
The background, the design of the vase and the plane of the table are drawn by the artist using warm, soft colors. The background of the painting is filled with a single color without excessive detail or ornamentation. At the same time, the true power of color, its fullness of light warms, penetrating into many objects of the surrounding world and giving the air visibility and color. The use of shades of yellow builds a special colorful rhythm, builds a reality full of harmony and correct features. Color selection differs in saturation, openness, without crushing into many shades. The author gives greater preference to the power of the black outline in outlining bright blue petals and fresh iris leaves in a vase.
The image of iris flowers was especially carefully worked out. Strokes white They draw out the depth and expressiveness of shadows, the volume and tenderness of complex inflorescences. The predominance of blue shades in the depiction of flowers is not total. Rather, we can say that Blue colour irises tonally softened various combinations ocher, yellow and blue.
The drawing of the vase is slightly shifted to the right, while this artistic decision is supported by the excessive “liveliness” and splendor of the drawing of the bouquet on the left side of the canvas. The distant plan has a one-color local solution and is colored yellow, which looks quite simple, ascetic, coloristically monosyllabic. The movements of the artist’s brush follow the outlines of objects in their movement, sculpting the very “fabric” of the thing depicted and performing the function of shaping. The shadow pattern is not written out, the laws of the classical construction of chiaroscuro are reduced to a minimum. However, “Irises” amazes with the brightness and dynamism of the visual range, the expressiveness of the colors, within which there is a deep power of color and linear design. Vincent Van Gogh's paintings are different from many works of academic classical painting, and in addition, from most works of impressionist art. Despite this, his work is full of vitality. Main feature creative method Van Gogh is characterized by brightness, sometimes aggressiveness, colors, trembling lines, a feeling of “rattling” of the image created in the painting. In Van Gogh’s works, life is uncontrollable, like a stream of consciousness or a seething, restless swarm of thoughts, ideas, whose beauty one must still be able to feel and appreciate.
The article by Oksana Kopenkina, which I chose for you, dear members of the “Art” site, talks about one of Van Gogh’s masterpieces.
I allowed myself to add three illustrations to the article (at the end), and at the very beginning - a few short ones biographical information and about the artist.
Vincent Van Gogh - famous artist and a scandalous figure in the world art of the 19th century V. Today, his work continues to generate controversy. The ambiguity of the paintings and their fullness of meaning force us to take a deeper look at both them and the life of their creator.
Childhood and family
He was born in 1853 in the Netherlands, in the small village of Grote-Zundert. His father was a Protestant pastor, and his mother was from a bookbinder family. Vincent Van Gogh had 2 younger brothers and 3 sisters. It is known that at home he was often punished for his wayward character and temper. The men in the artist’s family worked in the church or were engaged in selling paintings and books.
Since childhood, he was immersed in 2 contradictory worlds - the world of faith and the world of art.
Education
At the age of 7, the elder Van Gogh began attending the village school.
Just a year later he switched to home schooling, and after another 3 years he left for boarding school.
In 1866 Vincent became a student at Willem II College. Although leaving and separation from loved ones was not easy for him, he achieved some success in his studies. Here he received drawing lessons. After 2 years, Vincent Van Gogh interrupted his primary education and returned home.
Subsequently, he made repeated attempts to obtain art education, but none of them were successful.
Finding himself From 1869 to 1876, working as a salesman of paintings in a large company, he lived in The Hague, Paris and London.
During these years, he became acquainted with painting very closely, visited galleries, had daily contact with works of art and their authors, and for the first time tried himself as an artist.
After his dismissal, he worked in 2 English schools as a teacher and assistant pastor.
Then he returned to the Netherlands and sold books.
But most of his time was spent on drawings and translating fragments of the Bible into foreign languages.
Six months later, having settled in Amsterdam with his uncle Jan Van Gogh, he was preparing to enter the university to study theology.
However, he quickly changed his mind and went first to the Protestant missionary school near Brussels, and then to the mining village of Paturage in Belgium.
Since the mid-80s of the XIX century. and until the end of his life, Vincent Van Gogh actively painted and even sold some paintings.
He spent some time in 1888 in a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy.
The incident with cutting off his earlobe is well known, because of which he ended up in the hospital - Van Gogh, after a quarrel with Gauguin, separated it from his left ear and took it to a prostitute he knew.
The artist died in 1890 from a bullet wound.
According to some versions, the shot was fired by himself.
And now the article itself by Oksana Kopenkina.
"Irises" by Van Gogh. About the artist's floral masterpiece
Vincent Van Gogh. Irises. 1889 Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Van Gogh created “Irises” at a difficult moment in his life. While in a mental hospital in Saint-Rémy (southeast France).
A few months earlier, he cut off his earlobe with a razor, experiencing a severe nervous breakdown. Since then, he had seizures about once a month. He fell into oblivion for several hours.
"Irises" created by a madman?
Nobody knows what disease struck the artist. He may have suffered from epilepsy (like his uncle and sister). But this means that between seizures he was absolutely sane.
Or maybe it was panic attacks. But when they pass, the person is also quite adequate.
In any case, it is enough to look at his “Irises” to be convinced that this was written by a person of sound mind.
Moreover, a person who wanted with every fiber of his soul to recover and continue working.
Vincent Van Gogh. Self-portrait with a cut off ear and a pipe. January 1889 Zurich Kunsthaus Museum,
Private collection Niarchos.
After all, Van Gogh had a dream. He wanted to change painting and prove to others that his method of work has the right to life.
In the end, he wanted to sell his works in order to gain financial independence and pay off his brother Theo (he paid him a monthly allowance).
When Van Gogh created Irises, all these hopes were still simmering within him. He was sure that painting would help him overcome his illness.
That’s why the picture is so bright and positive.
It reflects the artist’s spirit for the best.
What is special about Van Gogh's Irises?
In the picture we see a flower carpet. There is no horizon and sky.
Van Gogh made sure that the viewer's attention was focused only on the colors. This is a very unusual perspective, which had almost never been seen in Western painting before.
But it wasn’t Van Gogh who came up with the idea of writing like this. This perspective is often found among Japanese masters.
When the artist brings the viewer very close to the object. And the background is neutral.
This is how the famous Katsushika Hakusai worked.
Katsushika Hakusai. Irises and grasshopper. 1820s Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
But after Van Gogh, this technique is more common.
Claude Monet will paint more than one similar painting. Including irises.
Claude Monet. Irises and water lilies. 1914-1917 Private collection
This same idea will be picked up by representatives of modernism. Among whom the most striking was Gustav Klimt.
Gustav Klimt. Blooming garden. 1907 Ro Foundation for the Third World, Zurich
But Van Gogh’s “Irises” are interesting not only for their perspective.
If you compare them with Monet’s work, the difference in the depiction of flowers immediately catches your eye.
Monet's flowers are painted vaguely, in an impressionistic manner. Only the rich, almost luminous color makes them stand out in space.
Van Gogh's flowers are more realistic and believable.
Vincent Van Gogh. Irises (fragment). 1889
Claude Monet. Irises and water lilies (fragment)
At the same time, the land was painted in a completely different technique. Separate, multi-colored strokes.
As a result, we get the impression that the soil is loose.
Just what shades are not here. Powdery, pink, red, yellow, brown.
And even blue in places. This technique is somewhat similar to pointillism.
Van Gogh. Irises (detail). 1889 Getty Museum, Los Angeles
This is when the artist paints with individual dots or strokes different colors. With the expectation that at a distance, unmixed colors will combine into a single color mass.
One of the most famous pointillists was Paul Signac. Which is precisely what introduced Van Gogh to the technique of color separation.
Paul Signac. Red buoy. 1895 Musée d'Orsay, Paris
This is quite interesting. Before Van Gogh, no one had ever combined two of these on one canvas. different techniques. Realism and pointillism.
But he seemed to soften them. Therefore, nothing repels. As if this was the only way to paint these irises and soil.
This once again shows how keen Van Gogh was to learn from others. But at the same time he processed everything in his own way. He consciously sought a new path.
Agree, a crazy person is unlikely to be capable of such a thing.
Is there an encrypted message in Irises?
Surely you noticed that among blue flowers A single white iris grows. What did Van Gogh mean by this? We are tempted to look for hidden meaning in this.
Maybe the artist symbolizes his own loneliness in this way?
After all, no one believed in him. Except for his brother Theo and himself.
Hardly. Van Gogh did not like symbolism. I tried to draw only the real world.
Expressiveness was more important to him.
That is, the ability to express the essence of things through color and shape. The way he saw and understood her.
That's why he so easily retreated from realism for the sake of this essence. Bright colors ("Sunflowers")
Hypertrophied facial features ("Potato Eaters")
But he didn’t want to add anything specifically to encrypt a certain message.
Therefore, he almost always wrote from life, and not from memory.
The only exception is "Starlight Night".
And that was only because Van Gogh could not leave the hospital at night. And involuntarily he had to use his imagination.
It’s not for nothing that in addition to irises, there are also marigolds in the picture.
The history of "Irises" from the death of Van Gogh to the present day
We are very lucky that the Irises reached us.
The fact is that Van Gogh gave many works created in Saint-Rémy to its inhabitants.
The chief doctor, his son and even some patients.
The fate of many of these paintings is very sad. After all, everyone thought that these were just pictures of a sick person.
And they were treated accordingly.
Thus, the doctor’s son used Van Gogh’s paintings as targets, mercilessly shooting them.
And a local photographer, who is interested in painting, scraped paint from a dozen Van Gogh paintings.
After the artist’s death, the “Irises” ended up with his mother. And again it’s a miracle that they survived it.
The fact is that Van Gogh’s mother did not understand her son’s work.
When she moved to another city after her husband’s death, she left several dozen of his early works in the attic.
She simply didn't need them. Their fate is still unknown.
After her death in 1907, the painting was bought by a collector for 300 francs.
And already in 1990 it went to the Getty Museum (Los Angeles).
For... 54 million dollars.
Read about other works of the master in the article “5 masterpieces of Van Gogh.”
French art critic Octave Mirbeau once paid 300 francs for a painting depicting an unusual flowerbed with blooming irises. In 1987, the same canvas was already valued at almost $54 million at Sotheby’s auction. Alan Bond tried to buy the Irises, but he didn’t have the money to complete the deal. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles entered the game, purchasing the painting in 1990. Cultural institution gained a lot, because now one of the most mysterious paintings The Dutch artist can be admired by everyone.
“A lightning rod for illness” (bipolar personality disorder), as Van Gogh himself called the painting, does not fit into his artistic style, which still amazes viewers. There are no thick and caustic, even poisonous shades here - “Irises” are filled with the airy softness of pastel. And it’s even strange that the canvas was painted in 1889, when the painter was undergoing treatment in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It is so strange and mysterious that he wrote it a year before his death. The solitude and unique architecture of the French villages inspired him with peace, which became a cure for his illness. Irises, as is known from French folklore, mean the awakening of nature and the resurrection of everything dead, because Van Gogh noticed that when he painted, the disease subsided. The painting was made with the indescribable art of a virtuoso playing his last concert.
In “Irises,” the influence of Japanese ukiyo-e, elegant engravings with outlined objects presented from an unusual angle, is clearly evident. Their details were drawn, and some parts of the engravings were filled with a surreal extraterrestrial glow. The iris field is full of such peace, such lightness and transparency that it seems that this is not Van Gogh at all. “Irises” are simple and unique; they amaze with their serenity and ability to relieve internal tension in everyone who has seen at least a reproduction. The picture simply breathes watercolor, translucency and makes you look at it for more than one hour.
The perspective on the canvas, however, is unusual even for Van Gogh. A simple landscape - flowers and bushes are similar to what could be seen and perceived Small child or a person crouched on the ground. The entire space of the picture is covered with irises, only the yellowish-green grass gives a slight hint that the lawn has a continuation. The red-orange soil seems to repeat the shades of the flowers in the flowerbed. It seems that such disproportion will continue indefinitely, but a single white iris balances the whole picture, creating its harmony.
It is also interesting that “Irises” is not a static frozen picture, but a canvas that has a peculiar, Van Gogh-like movement, constructed in such a way that you need to look at it exactly diagonally - from left to top. The asymmetry and disproportion of the work is actually ostentatious: the earth in the lower right corner is balanced by orange and yellow flowers at the club. The clarity of the horizontal picture is maintained by white and pale blue irises.
It is noteworthy that the influence of Japanese prints is not entirely reflected in the painting. It contains the same graceful thin lines of ukiyo-e, amazingly intertwined with impressionistic transitions and halftones. Moreover, such a mixture of styles in Van Gogh is not crude, but rather harmonious, one that gives the painting uniqueness and attractive charm. Thanks to this synthesis of the sophistication of the East and the free-thinking of Europe, the artist was able to convey the freshness of irises and their expressive color.
He mixes shades in a special way, as if playing with them. The soft round shape of irises echoes orange flowers, smooth outlines of the leaves. The color scheme of the irises themselves resembles colorful, calming waves, smoothly flowing into each other. Their unique energy creates fragility, lightness and airiness of the design.
“Irises” has no background, there are only warm soft shades of the earth, depicted in blurred stripes, and the warming glow of a flower bed. The kind that penetrates from the painting into external world and gives it visibility and tenderness. Usage various shades green, yellow and purple create a real rhythm of colors, and the correctness of the lines gives the drawing completeness. The rich and at the same time delicate selection of colors is so amazing that the flowers seem weightless.
However, the picture is bright and dynamic, it can freeze and come to life a second later. Simple, but at the same time luxurious irises, in addition to tenderness and airiness, have rich ripeness and excellent juiciness. This is perhaps the only painting by Van Gogh where contrasts are played out. Purple-blue irises contrast with the green tone of the leaves and the bright flowers in the flower bed. The terracotta-red soil seems to beckon the plants towards it, and the hint of a jade-green meadow in the background makes the irises gravitate towards it too. The painting “Irises” is filled not only with impressionistic emotions, but also with impressions. It is impossible to reliably determine what “experiences” the flowers have at this moment; one can only capture the impression of this experience itself. Irises simultaneously lean towards the power of the earth and want to rush upward to the meadow.
There is a special life force, which is typical for each of Van Gogh’s works. He stands for brightness, even aggressiveness, a somewhat rattling image and the uncontrollability of life. In “Irises” there is no crazy flow of ideas and attempts to drown out the voices of demons - they contain a subtle, invaluable beauty that not everyone can appreciate and feel.
And although critics said that the paintings of this artist were stunning in their expression, that the color in his image became a real jewel, Van Gogh was destined for posthumous recognition. At 37, he committed suicide, and his brother Theo created a museum that made Vincent famous. Once art was a consolation for the artist tormented by demons, now he has become one of the already recognized geniuses who loved life and knew how to see unusual beauty in it.
Year of creation: 1889.
Type: Oil on canvas.
Dimensions: 71*93 cm.
Location: Getty Museum, California, USA.
Irises
Painting "Irises" written by a famous Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889. This painting was created a year before the death of the great artist. When he painted this picture, he was in a psychiatric hospital, which was located next to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, then he no longer had a chance of recovery. He was constantly monitored by the clinic doctors, as he often had attacks of aggression.
Description
This painting is very different from the works that he created before it. Perhaps the reason for this change in style was the artist’s mental illness. This is not the style that everyone is used to seeing in paintings Van Gogh. In this work there is no tension, despondency and gloomy shades that made people sad and caused bad thoughts. This picture, on the contrary, contains light, lightness and purity. In style, this painting can be classified as a series of Japanese motifs, based on which Van Gogh painted several paintings.
Blooming branches almonds
The painting “Irises” depicts a small part of a meadow in which only flowers grow. In addition to irises, there are other flowers here, but irises still occupy main position, which is why the painting got its name. The painting depicts plants from an unusual perspective; flowers fill almost the entire space of the painting. The image doesn't look animated, it's frozen. The composition of the picture makes the eye involuntarily move to the upper left corner. There is an unusual symmetry in this painting, the earth is combined with the flowers in the upper left of the painting, and the light irises lie on the center line of the painting.
Technique
The technique used to paint irises shows traces of Japanese painting. Thin light lines, filling individual elements of the picture with one color. But not the entire picture is made in this style; some details can still be attributed to impressionism. But mixing these two styles does not have any effect negative influence on the picture, but only on the contrary makes the picture even more beautiful and unusual.
Painting “Irises”, Van Gogh. updated: October 25, 2017 by: Valentina
"Irises" by Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous and memorable subjects of the great Dutch painter. Painted a year before the artist’s death, “Irises” became like an outlet in his work, striking with its liveliness, delicate color rendering and general tranquility of the plot.
History of creation
The artist himself spoke of this painting as a “lightning rod for his illness,” since it was painted during treatment in the hospital at the monastery of Saint-Rémy de Provence. Van Gogh’s “Irises” really had a positive impact on the general psychological condition artist. Vincent suffered from bipolar personality disorder, but treatment at Saint-Rémy actually seemed to benefit him. In letters to his brother, the artist wrote that he was inspired by village landscapes, young cheerful village women and flowers, lush flower beds spread throughout the entire territory of the hospital. Modern photo Hospital Saint-Rémy de Provence is presented below.
We also present to your attention Saint-Rémy de Provence in Van Gogh’s painting. This work became quite famous.
While painting Irises, the artist felt that he could hold back attacks of illness while working. This awareness probably gave the picture such an irresistible feeling of thirst for life and craving for beauty. Unfortunately, this painting was not the starting point, but the final one - after it the plots became more intense and expressive, until they reached their highest intensity in the painting “Wheat Field with Crows,” which became the last in the artist’s life. Van Gogh seemed to create “Irises” in the last fit of life-loving harmony, having painted them a year before his death.
The world also saw such a work as “Wheat Field with Crows” (1890). You can see it below.
"Irises" by Van Gogh - description of the painting
This canvas contains all the features characteristic of the painter’s style: fast, curved strokes, giving the painting the illusion of movement and life. All his landscapes have the feeling of a light breeze swaying the trees, grass and flowers. It’s the same in “Irises” - they seem to move, swayed by gusts of wind. Present and so favorite van Gog mixes the genres of Japanese engraving and impressionism. But there is something that still distinguishes the picture from others: firstly, this is the perspective - the artist seems to be lying on the ground, looking at the flowers directly in front of him, even slightly from bottom to top.
The horizon is not visible, and the center of the picture visually shifts to the right - here the bouquet of irises is most clearly and expressively depicted, while on the left and in the depths the flowers are slightly blurred and distant. The cluster of irises on the right is balanced by a patch of bare, orange-hued ground on the left. Bright, cheerful irises covering the horizon allow the viewer to literally immerse themselves in the flower garden. Rich patches of violet-blue flowers combine exquisitely with long, graceful bright green leaves (a clear reference to the decorative Japanese style).
Japanese prints depicting irises convey all the beauty of these flowers.
Where is the original?
The Getty Museum has been exhibiting the canvas that Van Gogh sincerely loved, “Irises,” since 1990. This is one of the few paintings by the artist exhibited during his lifetime. Through the efforts of the artist's brother, Theo Van Gogh, the painting was presented at the Salon of Independent Artists in Paris in September 1889. A year after the artist’s death, in 1891, “Irises” was acquired by Octave Mirbeau - French writer and art connoisseur. His photo is presented below.
He bought it not alone, but together with another famous painting by Van Gogh - “Sunflowers”. He paid 600 francs for two paintings.
In 1987, the original Van Gogh painting “Irises” was sold at auction for a then-record sum of $53.9 million. The buyer was businessman and crime boss Alan Bond, but he suddenly didn't have enough money to complete the deal. The painting was withdrawn from auction, and only in 1990 Van Gogh’s “Irises” was acquired by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
This museum was founded by oil magnate Jean Paul Getty and to this day is the most major museum arts throughout the West Coast of the United States. The original "Irises" by Van Gogh is the only painting by this artist presented in the museum.
Other Irises
"Irises" from 1889 is not the only painting by the artist depicting these beautiful spring flowers. A year earlier he had written “Field of Irises near Arles.” This picture is classical landscape in the style of Van Gogh: bright sky, field, flowers, trees and tops of buildings in the distance. The painting is dominated by the painter’s favorite yellow and blue colors. It seems as if the irises are a fragment of this picture, but here the flowers are painted more carelessly, they are just part of a larger landscape.
The other two paintings were painted later, in the year of the artist’s death. Both depict bouquets of irises collected in vases. The first one is called “Bouquet of Irises”. Huge bouquet flowers on a bright yellow background are collected in a clay rustic pot. There are so many irises that several stems fell out of the pot onto the table. This painting still produces pleasant impression due to the brightness of color and the previous combination of Japaneseism and impressionism. However, cut flowers do not give such a life-loving effect as those growing lushly in a flower bed. Perhaps, with the irises falling from the vase, the artist wanted to emphasize his sad mood - he feels “dropped out” of society, superfluous, a stranger.
Another picture, although it repeats the name “Irises”, produces a completely opposite effect than the first and previous ones. This time there are not so many flowers, they fit well and do not fall out; the bouquet is placed in a white water jug. A clearly defined green tablecloth and a white wall, which occupies most of the background, produce a depressing impression - they are associated with a hospital, non-residential premises. The flowers themselves are also not so bright and slightly wrinkled - they seem to be already withering, they give off a feeling of death. The clear black contours of the stems and petals are expressively decorative, again hinting at japanese art. The absence of bright colors, on the contrary, distances the picture from impressionism. Perhaps the artist wanted to emphasize that even his favorite flowers have ceased to inspire him - now they are just part of a lifeless picture.
Artistic features of Van Gogh's work
To this day, Vincent Van Gogh remains a controversial artist. Some hate him, others idolize him. But one cannot help but admit that the freshness of his paintings, the originality of color and subjects make him one of the most influential and relevant in modern world. "Irises" is one of the most striking paintings by the great Dutch painter. It so expresses the uniqueness and originality of the artist that even viewers who are far from impressionism and do not recognize genius " starry night"or colorful portraits and self-portraits, will certainly be fascinated by it. It seems as if all the creative discoveries developed by Van Gogh during creative path.
"Irises" by Van Gogh in the modern world
Few people buy reproductions these days. famous paintings for interior decoration - dusty paintings in massive frames are suitable for museums, but not for modern housing. However, Van Gogh's work is accompanied by modern man in other ways, because its relevance is now more popular than ever. For example, Van Gogh's painting "Irises" was used as a print in the Yves Saint Laurent collection in 1989.
Other design solutions using the “Irises” plot are also relevant - they can become a reproduction on the entire wall or be folded into a mosaic of stained glass (for example, in a bath or in the kitchen). Or they can be used as prints on T-shirts, phone cases, earrings, bags and more. Many people know Van Gogh's "Irises". An original in a museum or a reproduction on a T-shirt - it doesn’t matter, the main thing is to touch the soul of a great artist.