Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh

Sunflowers had a special meaning for the master. He wrote two series of paintings with them: Parisian and Arles. Then the painter made several versions of these works. All of them still cause discussion in the circles of art critics and have become a kind of “brand”.

“Sunflowers” by Van Gogh have the same significance in his work, as “La Gioconda” for Leonardo, “Sistine Madonna” for Raphael, “Black Square” for Malevich. These paintings in a sense are “synonyms” for artists. The Arles cycle, which includes the London painting, was intended to decorate the room of the friend of the painter, Paul Gauguin, in the so-called Yellow House in Arles, in the south of France, which Van Gogh rented.

Both artists worked there together in October-December 1888. In the work on the cycles, Van Gogh applied a special technique of writing – impasto. Its essence lies in the fact that the paints are applied very densely and not only the traditional brushes but also the knife are used. This created a special rough surface, a relief pattern. “Sunflowers” more than once copied, often succeeding in technical terms, but never – in “personal”.