Van Gogh Inspired

One of my favorite artist, Van Gogh, who painted Irises is what inspired this painting. 

In the beginning, I created shapes surrounding the floral subject in a black and white mosaic like pattern. Then completed the painting with a similar color scheme of Van Gogh’s.

Historical, Vincent Van Gogh painted Irises in 1889 while living at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France.

Van Gogh said the painting was "the lightning conductor for my illness" because he believed painting helped him avoid insanity. 

Van Gogh painted Irises from nature, capturing the irises' dramatic petals in the garden for the patients. The painting features a prominent white bloom among deep violet hues, with turquoise leaves forming a swirling band beneath the flowers. The painting's cropped composition and broad areas of vivid color are likely influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, which Van Gogh was a dedicated collector of. 

Van Gogh intended the irises to be purple, but the red pigment has faded over time, turning the flowers blue. He created a balanced background by dividing it into brown, purple, and green/yellow sections, which emphasizes the energy of the flowers and leaves. Van Gogh also made another still life painting of a bouquet, contrasting purple and pink with green. 

Irises is currently owned by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California. In 1987, it became the most expensive painting ever sold, selling for $53.9 million to Alan Bond. Mr. Bond was unable to pay for the painting, and it was resold to the Getty Museum in 1990.