The Girassóis by Van Gogh: analysis and meanings

you girassóis It is a series of paintings by Vincent van Gogh painted between 1888 and 1889, the last years of his life.

The work is one of the two most famous of the Dutch post-impressionist painter. Além dessa série, there is another titled The Girassois of Paris, painted by Van Gogh a year before, in 1887.

Analysis and comments on the series you girassóis

Van Gogh produced this series while he was in Arles, not in the south of France. The fabrics were made with the intention of decorating his home and ateliê for the help of friend and artist Paul Gauguin.

Ao todo são seven fabrics, with three, five, twelve and fifteen flowers. So that they will become more famous only when I count twelve and fifteen tours.

Vincent considered the series one of the most important in his production. Proud, he entered the subject in the center of the quadro, in a prominent position. In some fabrics, like

Glass with fifteen girassóis, his name is painted in blue, contrasting as the yellow background.

One of two reasons for this set of works to be so relevant is due to the fact of trazer innovation in the chromatic composition, with predominance of a color barely: or love it.

In fact, in some two paintings, the painter demonstrates his expressive and synthesizing capacity using barely three tons of yellow, or that it was great at the time.

The vibrant shades used on Dutch hair became possible thanks to industrial advances in pigmentation at the end of the 19th century. However, these pigments generally possessed a huge concentration of toxic substances, harming the health of two artists.

Another important point of analysis of the two works is how much the simple and colorful forms, which evoke Van Gogh's taste for Japanese art.

Still-life floral paintings were very common in the artistic tradition, especially in the Netherlands. However, they rarely included girassóis, because they are considered rude flowers. No entanto, Van Gogh appreciated his simplicity, joy and wild appearance.

Meanings present in the series you girassóis

em you girassóis, or love it express joy and celebrate life touched by divine light. Let's say that the sunflower flower receives this name because it is oriented in the direction of the sun.

For this fact, combined with its shape and color, you are turned solar symbols for Van Gogh, who related the love to the sun and life, and also associated the sun to Christ, whom he considered the light of the world.

Let us also mention that when Van Gogh conceived the Arles series, he was enthusiastic about the visit of Paul Gauguin, who would join the Casa Amarela project. In this way, the enthusiastic heart of the Dutch vibrated with gratitude to us Girassóis.

Another aspect that is worth observing is the different stages of flowering of the flowers in the paintings: girassóis em botão, girassóis matures and girassóis murchos.

Thus, we can interpret the work as an expression of the passage of time and age, symbol gives life and gives impermanence.

you girassóis up to date

Currently, the girassóis canvases are in different museums and galleries.

The paintings containing twelve tours are in museums in Munich, in Germany, and in Philadelphia, in the USA.

The paintings with fifteen tours are one in Tokyo, not Japan, another in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The third version can be seen The National Gallery, in London, in England.

This painting located in London underwent a protest action in 2022. In October of the year, two young activists of the movement stop oil They will enter the gallery and spill tomato soup on the cloth, valued at 500 million reais at the moment. The youth protested against or advanced two oil and gas exploration projects of the British government.

The fabric was not damaged, it was protected by glass, only the molding was damaged.

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