Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, Vincent Van Gogh, 1890
By Samantha Segarra
“This still life is not mentioned in Van Gogh’s letters and has puzzled scholars as to its place in his artistic production. The subject enjoys a certain rapport with the mixed bouquets of summer flowers he made in Paris; the quasi-abstract floral wallpaper design in the Berceuse of Arles (1996.435), and the white porcelain vase in the Irises of Saint-Rémy (58.187). However, the palette and style of this painting, especially its distinctive blues and ochers and graphic, brick-shape hatchings, link it firmly with the landscapes made just prior to his death in Auvers on July 29, 1890.” – MET Museum
Vincent van Gogh’s 1890 “Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase” is influenced by Japanese Art and their subject matter of nature, harmony, and everyday life. Vincent van Gogh illustrates an abundant bouquet of flowers in a vase. With bold expressive brushstrokes typical of the Post-Impressionism style, this technique adds texture, depth, and a sense of movement to the painting.
The white vase holding the bouquet is placed at the bottom center of the painting, rendered with thick solid strokes that give it a tangible feel. At the base of the vase, an overwhelming liveliness of foliage wraps around and all along upward towards the body and lip of the vase.
The leaves and stems of the bouquet cascade outward, almost blending into the navy-blue background with transparent strokes of orange and green.
The flowers come in a variety of shades and colors. With expressive brush strokes of white, pastel yellow, and hints of green- the flowers and their foliage fill the majority of the canvas and overflow in the vase. At the neck of the vase, a set of pink flowers emerges, while at the center of the canvas and vase is a vibrant red flower. The flowers are rendered in a variety of shapes and textures, with some appearing soft, plump, and round, while others going outward appear dull, droopy, and less delicate.
The background itself is a bold, deep textured navy blue that contrasts with the lighter tones of flowers and their stems. Like Japanese Art and their bold contrasting-colored prints, van Gogh replicates this by allowing the lighter colored bouquet to stand out more vividly against a bold deep navy-blue background.
Overall, the composition feels alive with motion as if the flowers are growing and swaying in the breeze, despite being in a still-life arrangement. The play of colors in the painting ranges from the greens and yellows of the stems to the foliage of the contrasting cool background; creates a vibrant yet electric depiction. The short and long brush strokes give a sense of depth and space, making the bouquet appear both flat and three-dimensional at the same time. The longer you look at Vincent van Gogh’s painting, the livelier this two-dimensional painting becomes.
DRAWN ASSUMPTIONS:
Inspired by post-impressionism, Vincent van Gogh’s elements of line, color, value, and texture express the liveliness of the bouquet of flowers in the vase. The vibrancy of the colors in the center fading outward indicate to us how the bouquet and the small vase isn’t adequately supporting these flowers and its foliage. This idea is supported by the structures of the flowers which appear duller in color and droopier or saddening. Like the idea of keratinization in the body due to inadequate nutrient support, the same can be said about the flowers in the vase. The color choices of the flowers symbolize or structuralize something more than just a simple bouquet, rather a connection of Nature, Harmony, and Everyday life. For instance, most of the flowers and even the vase is composed of whites and tints of pastel yellows that contrast against the deep navy-blue background. However, in the bouquet towards the center of the canvas and the body of the vase draws our eyes to the contrasting placement of a bright red flower and adjacent towards the left accompanies an arrangement of pastel pink flowers.
The color composition that van Gogh chooses could indicate to us the unity of how the vase, the foliage, and majority of flowers are the body, and its contrasting accents of red and pink allude to being the heart and lungs of the body. The expressive strokes inspired by post-impressionism, the bold colors, and the subject manner of nature, harmony, and everyday life inspired by the Japanese. Vincent van Gogh illustrates something much more than a bouquet of flowers in a vase.
CITED WORKS:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436525
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/stories/inspiration-from-japan
