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Still Life: Vase with Irises Against a Yellow Background

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 Details
Oil on canvas
92.0 x 73.5 cm.
Saint-Rémy: May, 1890
F 678, JH 1977

Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum
History
Provenance
Exhibitions
Analysis
See below


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Still Life: Vase with Irises Against a Yellow Background stands out as one of Vincent van Gogh's most well known floral still life paintings.

The work, along with its companion piece Still Life: Vase with Irises, is unusual in that it's one of the few still lifes painted by Van Gogh during his stay at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. Van Gogh painted still life works throughout his ten year career as an artist--from the earliest works in Etten, through to the final works he executed shortly before his death in 1890.

Interestingly, the one period in which Van Gogh produced very few still lifes was during his stay in Saint-Rémy. Perhaps this was because the surrounding landscape of Saint-Rémy was so inviting--the olive groves and soaring cypresses were far more interesting to Van Gogh who so loved to paint outdoors. Perhaps Vincent was anticipating his upcoming move from the asylum--his home for more than a year--to Auvers-sur-Oise in the north (where Van Gogh would rediscover his love of still life painting).

Of Still Life: Vase with Irises Against a Yellow Background Van Gogh wrote:

At present all goes well, the whole horrible attack has disappeared like a thunderstorm and I am working to give a last stroke of the brush here with a calm and steady enthusiasm. I am doing a canvas of roses with a light green background and two canvases representing big bunches of violet irises, one lot against a pink background in which the effect is soft and harmonious because of the combination of greens, pinks, violets. On the other hand, the other violet bunch (ranging from carmine to pure Prussian blue) stands out against a startling citron background, with other yellow tones in the vase and the stand on which it rests, so it is an effect of tremendously disparate complementaries, which strengthen each other by their juxtaposition.
Letter 633
Auvers-sur-Oise
11 or 12 May 1890
As mentioned above, Van Gogh may have painted this work in subconscious anticipation of his departure from the asylum at Saint-Rémy. But this still life also has roots in Van Gogh's past approach to his works, both in terms of the composition of the painting as well as his life-long interest in the effective use of contrasting colours.

In his catalogue for the 1986 exhibition Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers Ronald Pickvance wrote about the still lifes Van Gogh produced during this period:

In these formalistic color exercises he dispensed with a loaded brush and thick impasto, spreading the paint discreetly and carefully plotting the shapes. In the present painting, where the interplay of yellows, the proportion of the table in relation to the background, and the asymmetrical placing of the vase subtly echo one of the Arles Sunflowers (F 454), he actually painted the flowers, vase, and tabletop before adding the background in and around the established shapes.1

Indeed, the composition of the work is highly reminiscent of the famous sunflower series, but here Van Gogh also makes wonderful use of the contrasting colours laid out on the canvas.

The effective interplay of contrasting colours was a subject that interested Vincent as well as Theo van Gogh throughout their careers. In late 1889 Theo wrote to his brother:

One can get no idea of the force of the colours, which Monticelli was one of the first to use, availing himself of a contrast in order to arrive at a strong effect while preserving harmony.
Letter T22
Paris
22 December 1889
Vincent himself wrote about his use of contrasting colours on a number of occasions2:

But I have made a series of colour studies in painting, simply flowers, red poppies, blue corn flowers and myosotys, white and rose roses, yellow chrysanthemums--seeking oppositions of blue with orange, red and green, yellow and violet seeking les tons rompus et neutres to harmonize brutal extremes. Trying to render intense colour and not a gray harmony.
Letter 459a (to Horace Mann Livens)
Paris
August/October, 1886
It's interesting to note that Van Gogh's interest in the specific colour contrast of violet and yellow dates back to his Paris period. Van Gogh again mentions the violet/yellow colour contrast in a letter dated from the same period:

As for my work, I painted the pendant to those flowers which you have. A branch of white lilies--white, pink, green--against black, something like black Japanese lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which you know--then a bunch of orange tiger lilies against a blue background, then a bunch of dahlias, violet against a yellow background, and a red gladioli in a blue vase against light yellow.
Letter 460
Paris
August, 1886
And then, in a letter to his sister, Wilhelmina:

Last year I painted hardly anything but flowers in order to get accustomed to using a scale of colours other than gray--namely pink, soft and vivid green, light blue, violet, yellow, orange, rich red.
Letter W1
Paris
Summer or fall, 1887

Both Vincent and his brother Theo van Gogh held strong opinions regarding the use of contrasting colours in art. If used effectively, these contrasts need not produce a jarring and dissonant interplay on the canvas, but rather--as both the Van Gogh brothers would write--the result would be a powerful visual "harmony".

1. Ronald Pickvance, Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986), p. 185.

2. I'd like to thank Laura Coyle for drawing my attention to these specific letters in her excellent essay Strands Interlacing: Colour Theory, Education and Play in the Work of Vincent van Gogh (Van Gogh Museum Journal, 1996, pp. 118-31).


Provenance

Owner City Country Date acquired Comments
Theo van Gogh Paris France 1890-91  
Johanna van Gogh-Bonger Amsterdam Netherlands 1891-1925  
V.W. van Gogh Laren Netherlands 1925-62  
Van Gogh Foundation Amsterdam Netherlands 1962 On loan to the Stedelijk Museum 1962-73.
Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam Netherlands 1973 On permanent loan from the Vincent van Gogh Foundation.


Exhibitions

Year City Country Venue Exhibition Name Start Date End Date No.
1905 Berlin (1) Germany Paul Cassirer Vincent van Gogh  
  
 26
1905 Amsterdam Netherlands Stedelijk Museum Tentoonstelling Vincent van Gogh 15 July 1905 1 August 1905 159
1907 Berlin (2) Germany
13th Secession  
  
 66
1912 Cologne Germany Städtische Ausstellungshalle am Aachener Tor Internationale Kunstausstellung des Sonderbundes Westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler zu Köln 25 May 1912 30 September 1912 30
1914 Berlin (1) Germany Paul Cassirer Vincent van Gogh 30 März 1853-29 July 1890. Zehnte Ausstellung 1 June 1914 5 July 1914 107
1923 Amsterdam Netherlands Stedelijk Museum Tentoonstelling van Nederlandsche beeldende kunsten  
  
 129
1924 Basel Switzerland Kunsthalle Basel Vincent van Gogh 27 March 1924 4 May 1924 41
1924 Zurich Switzerland Kunsthaus Zurich Vincent van Gogh 3 July 1924 10 August 1924 65
1924 Stuttgart Germany Württembergischer Kunstverein Ausstellung Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 12 October 1924 30 November 1924 34
1925 The Hague Netherlands Pulchri Studio Vincent van Gogh  
  
 30
1925 Paris (1) France Galerie Marcel Bernheim Exposition rétrospective d'oeuvres de Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) 5 January 1925 24 January 1925 34
1926-27 London United Kingdom Leicester Galleries Vincent van Gogh Exhibition 26 November 1926 6 January 1927 7
1927 Paris France Galerie Bernheim-Jeune Vincent van Gogh l'époque française 20 June 1927 2 July 1927  
1929 London (1) United Kingdom Royal Academy of Arts Dutch Art 1450-1900 4 January 1929 9 March 1929 452
1930 Amsterdam Netherlands Stedelijk Museum Vincent van Gogh en zijn tijdgenooten 6 September 1930 2 November 1930 95
1932 Manchester United Kingdom Manchester City Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh. Loan Collection of Paintings and Drawings 13 October 1932 27 November 1932 24
1933 Amsterdam (2) Netherlands Kunsthandel J. Goudsikker Het stilleven 18 February 1933 19 March 1932 116
1933 Rotterdam (1) Netherlands Museum Boymans 115 stillevens, 1480-1933 1 April 1933 23 April 1933 36
1945 Amsterdam Netherlands Stedelijk Museum Vincent van Gogh 14 September 1945 1 December 1945 ---
1946 Stockholm Sweden Nationalmuseum Vincent van Gogh. Utställning Anordnad till Förmän för Svenska Hollandshjälpen 8 March 1946 28 April 1946 97
1946 Gothenburg Sweden Göteborgs Konstmuseum Vincent van Gogh. Utställning Anordnad till Förmän för Svenska Hollandshjälpen 3 May 1946 26 May 1946 97
1946 Malmö Sweden Malmö Museum Vincent van Gogh. Utställning Anordnad till Förmän för Svenska Hollandshjälpen 29 May 1946 16 June 1946 97
1946 Liège Belgium Musée des Beaux-Arts Vincent van Gogh 12 October 1946 3 November 1946 152
1946 Brussels Belgium Palais des Beaux-Arts Vincent van Gogh 9 November 1946 19 December 1946 152
1946-47 Mons Belgium Musée des Beaux-Arts Vincent van Gogh 27 December 1946  
 152
1947 Paris (1) France Musée de l'Orangerie Vincent van Gogh 24 January 1947 15 March 1947 154
1947 Geneva Switzerland Musée Rath 172 oeuvres de Vincent van Gogh 22 March 1947 20 April 1947 154
1947-48 London United Kingdom Tate Gallery Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 10 December 1947 14 January 1948 87
1948 Birmingham United Kingdom City Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 24 January 1948 14 February 1948 87
1948 Glasgow Scotland Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 21 February 1948 14 March 1948 87
1948 Bergen Norway Kunstforening Vincent van Gogh, Malerier Tegninger 23 March 1948 18 April 1948 60
1948 Oslo Norway Kunstnernes Hus Vincent van Gogh, Malerier Tegninger 24 April 1948 15 May 1948 60
1949-50 New York United States Metropolitan Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh Paintings and Drawings. A Special Loan Exhibition 21 October 1949 15 January 1950 132
1950 Chicago United States Art Institute of Chicago Vincent van Gogh Paintings and Drawings. A Special Loan Exhibition 1 February 1950 16 April 1950 132
1951 Lyons France Musée de Lyon Vincent van Gogh 5 February 1951 27 March 1951 54
1951 Arles France Musée Réattu Vincent van Gogh en Provence 5 May 1951 27 May 1951 54
1953 The Hague Netherlands Haags Gemeentemuseum Vincent van Gogh 1853-1953 30 March 1953 17 May 1953 175
1953 Otterlo Netherlands Kröller-Müller Museum Eeuwfeest Vincent van Gogh 1853-1953 24 May 1953 19 July 1953 167
1953 Amsterdam Netherlands Stedelijk Museum Eeuwfeest Vincent van Gogh 23 July 1953 20 September 1953 167
1953 Saint Louis United States City Art Museum of Saint Louis Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 17 October 1953 13 December 1953 150
1954 Toledo United States Toledo Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 7 March 1953 30 April 1953 150
1954 Philadelphia United States Philadelphia Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 2 January 1954 28 February 1954 150
1954 Zurich Switzerland Kunsthaus Zurich Vincent van Gogh 9 October 1954 21 November 1954 56
1955 Palm Beach United States Society of the Four Arts Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 21 January 1955 13 February 1955 25
1955 Miami United States Lowe Gallery of the University of Miami Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 24 February 1955 20 March 1955 25
1955 New Orleans United States Isaac Delgado Museum Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 27 March 1955 20 April 1955 25
1955 Antwerp (1) Belgium Feestzaal Vincent van Gogh 7 May 1955 19 June 1955 310
1955 Liverpool United Kingdom Walker Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, Mainly from the Collection of Ir. V.W. van Gogh 29 October 1955 10 December 1955 76
1955-56 Manchester United Kingdom Manchester City Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, Mainly from the Collection of Ir. V.W. van Gogh 17 December 1955 4 February 1956 76
1956 Newcastle-upon-Tyne United Kingdom Laing Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings, Mainly from the Collection of Ir. V.W. van Gogh 11 February 1956 24 March 1956 76
1957 Marseilles France Musée Cantini Vincent van Gogh 12 March 1957 28 April 1957 70
1958 San Francisco United States M.H. de Young Memorial Museum Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings 6 October 1958 30 November 1958 63
1958-59 Los Angeles United States Los Angeles County Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings 10 December 1958 18 January 1959 63
1959 Portland United States Portland Art Museum Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings 28 January 1959 1 March 1959 63
1959 Seattle United States Seattle Art Museum Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings 7 March 1959 19 April 1959 63
1959-60 Utrecht Netherlands Centraal Museum Vincent van Gogh schilderijen en tekeningen verzameling Ir. V.W. van Gogh 18 December 1959 1 February 1960 46
1960 Montreal Canada Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Canada Collects: European Painting 1860-1960 6 October 1960 6 November 1960 76
1960 Ottawa Canada National Gallery of Canada Canada Collects: European Painting 1860-1960 17 November 1960 18 December 1960 76
1960-61 Winnipeg Canada Winnipeg Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh. Paintings-Drawings 29 December 1960 31 January 1961 76
1961 Toronto Canada Art Gallery of Toronto Vincent van Gogh. Paintings-Drawings 10 February 1961 12 March 1961 76
1961 Baltimore United States Baltimore Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings 18 October 1961 26 November 1961 58
1961-62 Cleveland United States Cleveland Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings 5 December 1961 14 January 1962 58
1962 Buffalo United States Albright Art Gallery Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings 30 January 1962 11 March 1962 58
1962 Boston United States Museum of Fine Arts Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings 22 March 1962 29 April 1962 58
1963 Humlebaek Denmark Louisiana Vincent van Gogh. Malerier og Tegninger 24 October 1963 15 December 1963 44
1964 Washington, D.C. United States Washington Gallery of Modern Art Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings 2 February 1964 19 March 1964 44
1964 New York (4) United States Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Vincent van Gogh. Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings 2 April 1964 28 June 1964 44
1965 Charleroi Belgium Palais des Beaux-Arts Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen, Aquarellen, Tekeningen 19 January 1965 28 March 1965 31
1965 Ghent Belgium Museum voor Schone Kunsten Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen, Aquarellen, Tekeningen 19 February 1965 21 March 1965 31
1965 Stockholm Sweden Moderna Museet Vincent van Gogh. Mälningar, Akvareller, Teckningar 23 October 1965 19 December 1965 53
1965-66 Gothenburg Sweden Göteborgs Konstmuseum Vincent van Gogh. Mälningar, Akvareller, Teckningar 30 December 1965 20 February 1966 53
1970 Baltimore United States Baltimore Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings 11 October 1970 29 November 1970 62
1970-71 San Francisco United States M.H. de Young Memorial Museum Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings 11 December 1970 31 January 1971 62
1971 Brooklyn United States Brooklyn Museum Vincent van Gogh. Paintings and Drawings 14 February 1971 4 April 1971 62
1973 Bern Switzerland Kunstmuseum Bern Vincent van Gogh. Collection du Musée National Vincent van Gogh à Amsterdam 25 January 1973 15 April 1973 42
1981 Toronto Canada Art Gallery of Ontario Vincent van Gogh and the Birth of Cloisonism 24 January 1981 22 March 1981  
1981 Amsterdam Netherlands Van Gogh Museum Vincent van Gogh and the Birth of Cloisonism 9 April 1981 14 June 1981  
1986-87 New York United States Metropolitan Museum of Art Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers 12 November 1986 22 March 1987 51
1990 Amsterdam Netherlands Van Gogh Museum Vincent van Gogh. Schilderijen 30 March 1990 29 July 1990 115
1996 Tokyo Japan Seiji Togo Memorial Yasuda Kasai Museum of Art Vincent van Gogh and his Time. Still Lifes from the Vincent van Gogh Museum and the H.W. Mesdag Museum 12 September 1996 11 November 1996
1998-99 Amsterdam Netherlands Rijksmuseum Van Gogh te Gast in het Rijksmuseum. Meesterwerken van het Van Gogh Museum 19 September 1998 2 May 1999
2003 Amsterdam (2) Netherlands Van Gogh Museum Gogh Modern 27 June 2003 12 October 2003 ---
2007-08 Seoul South Korea Seoul Museum of Art Van Gogh: Voyage into the Myth 24 November 2007 16 March 2008  

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