In Paris, Van Gogh focused on creating a lighter and cleaner palette. Theo Van Gogh wrote in his mother’s letters that Vincent was constantly drawing flowers. Bright saturated shades of plants allowed him to make the color pattern of paintings much cleaner.
But, in addition to flowers, other subjects of everyday use also served as a theme for still lifes, at times the most common. Such sketches had the character of educational work, in which the main focus was on the way the picture was executed. This work, written in 1887, shows that the artist was able to achieve significant success in moving towards the goal.
Onions in a pot are written very carefully and neatly, with the help of a fine brush. A saturated green color acquires a cool shade in the light. The juicy green contrasts with the pink orange color of the wallpaper pattern. These wallpapers can be seen in several paintings by Van Gogh, for example in “Still life with a decanter and lemons on a plate.”
With smears of blue paint, Van Gogh showed the reflections of daylight on the wall. The same blue shades play on the surface of the table, combined with the red, orange and yellow reflections of the surrounding objects. Such a game of contrast strokes makes the undetermined color of the tabletop unusually colorful and interesting.
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