Vincent Van Gogh's 1888 most popular and best-remembered painting reproduction. Van Gogh's sunflower painting series is probably one of the most famous pictures in the world. As Van Gogh awaited the arrival of his friend and fellow painter Paul Gauguin, he painted a series of sunflower paintings to decorate the Yellow House in Arles, France, which he hoped to share with Gauguin. Van Gogh managed to paint four canvases before the flowers died, but only considered two of them, including this one, good enough to sign and hang in Gauguin's bedroom. The flowers are set against a flat, butter-yellow background, separated from the dark ocher of the table top by a sketchily drawn blue line. The interplay between the color and lines of the table top, wall, and two-tone vase binds the surface of the painting together. The flowers are various stages of their life cycle. The angular manic yellow petals are thickly painted with almost manic energy, while jabbing dabs of paint create the grainy texture of the deeper orange seed heads. Unlike the impressionists, Van Gogh was not trying to reproduce what he saw, but wanted to use color more arbitrarily, so as to express himself with more force. Sunflowers is an expressive study in yellow, a color that signifies sunshine and happiness, which reflects the sense of joy and hope Van Gogh was feeling at the time. Sadly, within a few months of painting this welcome gift, he threatened to attack Gauguin, and went on to cut off a piece of his own ear in a dramatic display of despair. To Van Gogh, colors represented feelings. Yellow is the color of sunshine, meant life, hope, and happiness. Post-Impressionist Oil Painting with low price.
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