In the second half of the nineteenth century, there was a strong admiration for oriental art among European countries. After Vincent van Gogh had arrived in Paris, he discovered “Japonisme” and how Asian art impacted the West. For van Gogh, Japanese woodcut prints became one main source of inspiration and he became an enthusiastic collector. He decided to modernize his own way of painting according to the Japanese example: Adapting the bright exotic colours and the spacial concepts, in which the horizon would often be excluded, elements of the picture would be cropped at the edges, and bold lines added to the objects presented. In “Almond Blossom” and many more of his flower pictures such as “Almond Blossom in a Glass” and “Apricot Flower”, van Gogh implemented these Japanese influences.
Where is the picture “Almond Blossom” today?
The original painting of van Gogh’s “Almond Blossom” has been held in the permanent collection of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam since 1994.
What’s in it?
In his picture “Almond Blossom”, van Gogh borrowed both in subject and style from Japanese printmaking, incorporating it into his own artistic language. He painted the branches close-up from below against a blue sky as if lying on the back below the tree and looking up, zooming in on details of the flowers. The edges of the picture seem as if cropped, the branches are outlined in dark colours. With a lot of detail around the spring blossoms, van Gogh painted the sky in many different hues of blue.
What’s the context?
Van Gogh Facts:
Showing severe signs of mental illness, Vincent van GoghVincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is one of the renowned Post-Impressionist artists, best known for his striking use of colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. As a son of a pastor, the Dutch artist war brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. After working unsuccessfully as a clerk at a bookstore, as a salesman, and as a preacher More had to spend one year in the mental asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Despite his unstable health, he was highly productive, creating about 150 paintings in one year, including “Almond Blossom”. Symbolizing new life, van Gogh made the painting as a gift for his newborn nephew, his brother Theo’s son, who was born on 31st of January 1890. The child was named after his uncle Vincent and the painting highly appreciated by Theo and his wife, who presented it prominently in their home.
Chatter and Prattle
- Van Gogh made the painting “Almond Blossoms” in a time when he had stayed at the asylum of Saint-Rémy for ten months. Due to his strongly fluctuating health condition, he had not been able to work for many weeks. By the time his nephew was born, he was allowed to paint in the courtyard of the institution.
- Working hard on his paintings nonetheless had an ambivalent influence on his mental state, on the one hand filling him with joy, on the other hand exhausting him so much, that he suffered further attacks.
Recommended Readings:
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Ingo F. Walther et al. (2020): Van Gogh. The Complete Paintings
Vincent Van GoghVincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is one of the renowned Post-Impressionist artists, best known for his striking use of colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. As a son of a pastor, the Dutch artist war brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. After working unsuccessfully as a clerk at a bookstore, as a salesman, and as a preacher More (2020): The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh
Martin Gayford (2008): The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Provence
Steven Naifeh et al. (2012): Van Gogh: The Life (RANDOM HOUSE)
Steven Naifeh (2021): Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved
