“I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart” are Vincent Van Gogh‘s beautiful and haunting words that resonate with every artist. Van Gogh is, without a doubt, one of the most famous painters in today’s world. However, the artist was not so well appreciated while he was alive, and only sold a few paintings.
He gained the status that he has today, only after his death, and now is one of the greatest painters to have ever lived, with his paintings selling for millions of dollars. Here are all the details about his masterful paintings.
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Vincent Van Gogh Paintings And Their Current Residence
1. Starry Night, 1889
The Starry Night is Vincent Van Gogh’s one of the most iconic paintings. He had been suffering from mental health issues for a long time, so much so that it led to him cutting off his ear one day. After that incident, in 1888 he had been admitted to the Saint Paul de Mausole asylum to recover. The view that we see in Starry Night is actually the view that the artist saw from his room that night in that asylum. The swirling hues of the moonlight night sky and his use of colors depict his emotionally turbulent state. The painting Starry Night currently hangs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
2. Sunflowers, 1889
During his time in Arles, Van Gogh produced five different paintings of Sunflowers in a vase, by using only two shades of color, yellow mostly, and a touch of green. He said that for him sunflowers represented “gratitude”. He later hung one of the paintings in his home and gave one to his friend and fellow artist Paul Gaugin. This painting which he gave to Gaugin, sits in the Van Gogh Museum today.
3. Self-Portrait, 1889
During the course of his career, Van Gogh painted a lot of self-portraits, as many as 35. However, the one depicted below is one of his most famous. The painter painted himself wearing what he used to work in, his blue jacket and shirt. He depicted his sharp features, along with the furrow in his brow and beard, in order to be as true to himself. Another reason this was his most famous self-portrait was that it was his last self-portrait before he died the following year. The painting is currently at Musee d’Orsay in Paris.
4. The Potato Eaters, 1885
The Potato Eaters was completed by Van Gogh during his early years as an artist. His idea was to paint a peasant family eating dinner in their most natural state rather than posing for the painting. Van Gogh created this painting in the hope of displaying it at the Paris Salon. However, the Salon rejected it and the painting was not successful in his lifetime. Although today it is considered among Gogh’s best masterpieces. The painting currently stands at the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum.
5. Wheatfield With Crows, 1890
Wheatfield with Crows was one of Van Gogh’s very last paintings. It captures crows flying out of a wheat field and soaring into the deep blues of the majestic sky above. There is also a small path in between the wheat field, in the middle of the canvas. It is speculated that the path shows a sense of loneliness and uncertainty. Many people also consider this painting as foreshadowing Van Gogh’s suicide, representing the isolation that he felt over the years. The painting can be found in the Van Gogh Museum, in Amsterdam currently.
6. Café Terrace At Night, 1888
Café Terrace at Night is one of the very first paintings made by Vincent Van Gogh when he came to Arles. He got the inspiration from the actual cafe depicted in the painting, which still exists today. This has been renamed the Cafe Van Gogh. The artist set up his easel outdoors and in the evening to paint this scene. However, he did not paint it as he observed but rather used his color and brush strokes to depict his emotions. This painting is currently hanging on the walls of the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands.
7. The Bedroom, 1888
Van Gogh painted three versions of this painting of the same scene. These paintings depict Van Gogh’s yellow room in Arles. The paintings look exactly similar to each other and can only be distinguished from each other by the pictures on the right side wall. Van Gogh decided not to apply rules of perspective to this painting purposely because he wanted to give them a ‘flattened’ look as depicted in Japanese portraits. The three paintings are currently at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Musee D’Orsay Paris.
8. Irises, 1889
While Van Gogh was staying at the asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, he was allowed to roam around in the gardens. During this time, he painted many paintings of the garden including this one. Van Gogh sent this painting to his brother Theo, who then sent it to the annual exhibition of the Societe des Aristes Independants in September 1889, along with another of his painting Starry Night Over The Rhone. The painting has been bought by the J. Paul Getty Museum at an undisclosed amount where the painting currently resides.
9. At Eternity’s Gate, 1890
At Eternity’s Gate was painted by Van Gogh while he was going through a severe mental breakdown during his time at the asylum. This ‘sorrowful’ painting is based on an earlier lithograph that he made. The painting shows a pensioner or war veteran, however, we can’t keep from thinking if it actually shows his inner feelings and emotions. However, the word ‘Eternity’ indicates that Van Gogh still had a belief of God and eternity somewhere. The painting currently hangs on the walls of the Kroller-Muller Museum.
10. Almond Blossom, 1890
Vincent Van Gogh painted this beautiful painting Almond Blossom when he heard the good news that his brother Theo and his wife, Jo, had given birth to a baby boy. They had named the baby after Vincent, and also wrote a letter to him that said, “As we told you, we’ll name him after you, and I’m making the wish that he may be as determined and as courageous as you.” Vincent was so happy that he painted them this, as to him, almond blossoms represented all things good. Today this painting can be viewed at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
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