Vincent van Gogh: Pink Peach Tree in Blossom (Reminiscence of Mauve) (1888); Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo.
VAN GOGH AND THE SPRING BLOSSOMS OF 1888
Flowering orchards are probably never depicted more beautifully than by Vincent van Gogh during his stay in Arles, southern France. Throughout this period, he was tormented by depressions and despair - ultimately leading to his tragic suicide in 1890 - but the blossoming fruit trees were a source of hope and comfort to him. Vincent was struck by the fact that even the most weathered, gnarled trees could produce the most delicate of flowers; a symbol of renewal.
Van Gogh had ended up in Arles after many wanderings. Pivotal for his artistic development was his move to Paris, where he immersed himself in the latest trends in fine art. He shared an apartment with his brother Theo, who was an art dealer. Partly because of his poor health and the difficult relationship with his brother, Vincent decided to move to the south of France in 1888, to follow the sun and find favorable surroundings for his painting.
In Arles, Vincent worked like a man possessed, producing more than 200 paintings in less than 15 months. But, while today his paintings are among the most sought after of all times, Theo managed to sell just one of Vincent’s canvases. The only person ever to buy a work during his life was the Belgian impressionist painter Anna Boch.
Van Gogh made Pink Peach Tree in Blossom (Reminiscence of Mauve) in March of 1888, shortly after his arrival in Arles. The subtitle refers to Anton Mauve, a renowned Dutch painter who had taught and encouraged Vincent in earlier days. Vincent wrote to Theo: ‘I have been working on a size 20 canvas in the open air in an orchard, lilac ploughland, a reed fence, two pink peach trees against a sky of glorious blue and white. Probably the best landscape I have done. I had just brought it home when I received from our sister a Dutch notice in memory of Anton Mauve [..] Something - I don't know what - took hold of me and brought a lump to my throat, and I wrote on my picture: Souvenir de Mauve.’
(text: Maarten Levendig and Pauline Dorhout)
Flowering orchards are probably never depicted more beautifully than by Vincent van Gogh during his stay in Arles, southern France. Throughout this period, he was tormented by depressions and despair - ultimately leading to his tragic suicide in 1890 - but the blossoming fruit trees were a source of hope and comfort to him. Vincent was struck by the fact that even the most weathered, gnarled trees could produce the most delicate of flowers; a symbol of renewal.
Van Gogh had ended up in Arles after many wanderings. Pivotal for his artistic development was his move to Paris, where he immersed himself in the latest trends in fine art. He shared an apartment with his brother Theo, who was an art dealer. Partly because of his poor health and the difficult relationship with his brother, Vincent decided to move to the south of France in 1888, to follow the sun and find favorable surroundings for his painting.
In Arles, Vincent worked like a man possessed, producing more than 200 paintings in less than 15 months. But, while today his paintings are among the most sought after of all times, Theo managed to sell just one of Vincent’s canvases. The only person ever to buy a work during his life was the Belgian impressionist painter Anna Boch.
Van Gogh made Pink Peach Tree in Blossom (Reminiscence of Mauve) in March of 1888, shortly after his arrival in Arles. The subtitle refers to Anton Mauve, a renowned Dutch painter who had taught and encouraged Vincent in earlier days. Vincent wrote to Theo: ‘I have been working on a size 20 canvas in the open air in an orchard, lilac ploughland, a reed fence, two pink peach trees against a sky of glorious blue and white. Probably the best landscape I have done. I had just brought it home when I received from our sister a Dutch notice in memory of Anton Mauve [..] Something - I don't know what - took hold of me and brought a lump to my throat, and I wrote on my picture: Souvenir de Mauve.’
(text: Maarten Levendig and Pauline Dorhout)
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