Three Sunflowers

Title

Three Sunflowers

Artist

Eric Glaser

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

"Three Sunflowers"

Artist: Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)

Title: Three Sunflowers

Description: This is the mysterious so-called "Lausanne" Sunflowers. It was purchased by an unidentified private collector from a New York dealer in 1996 for an undisclosed sum. The last time it was exhibited was in 1948 when the Cleveland had it for a month. Previously it had been exhibited three times for a total of just six weeks in Paris. Since the 1948 exhibition its movements have been shrouded in mystery and few people have seen it in recent years. The painting is said to be in excellent condition. This image, from Martin Bailey's 2013 book, is likely the best image available, Bailey doesn't give a picture credit. (Text Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Date: Arles, 1888

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: Height: 73 cm (28.7 in); Width: 58 cm (22.8 in)

Collection: Private collection

Painting History:

1889 Theo van Gogh, Paris
1891 Jo Bonger, Bussum
1891 Octave Mirbeau, Paris (via Tanguy, Paris) £12
1912 Jacques Doucet, Paris (via Bernheim Jeune Gallery, Paris) £2,000
1929 Jeanne Doucet, Paris
1930 Jean Dubrujeaud, Paris
1968 Jean Angladon-Dubrujeaud, Avignon
1970 Georges Embericos, Lausanne (via Schmidt gallery, Paris) £600,000
1996 Unidentified private collector (via a New York gallery) undisclosed

In August, 1888 Vincent van Gogh began painting a series of works which, as Dr. Jan Hulsker suggests "perhaps more than any other of his paintings, have made him known throughout the world. They are often the only works with which he is identified."1 This series is, of course, the sunflowers.

Van Gogh envisioned his sunflower works as a series and worked diligently on them in anticipation of the arrival in Arles of his friend, Paul Gauguin. In a letter to Emile Bernard written around 21 August 1888 Vincent wrote: "I’m thinking of decorating my studio with half a dozen paintings of Sunflowers. A decoration in which harsh or broken yellows will burst against various blue backgrounds, from the palest Veronese to royal blue, framed with thin laths painted in orange lead. Sorts of effects of stained-glass windows of a Gothic church." (Letter 665).

Vincent eventually planned a dozen sunflower works to be hung in the Yellow House which he and Gauguin would use for a studio. "I’d like to do a decoration for the studio. Nothing but large Sunflowers. Next door to your shop, in the restaurant, as you know, there’s such a beautiful decoration of flowers there; I still remember the big sunflower in the window. Well, if I carry out this plan there’ll be a dozen or so panels. The whole thing will therefore be a symphony in blue and yellow. I work on it all these mornings, from sunrise. Because the flowers wilt quickly and it’s a matter of doing the whole thing in one go." (666). Unfortunately, Vincent's race against the changing seasons was unsuccessful and he was only able to complete four sunflower works in August, 1888.

Without question, the most valuable resource with regards to insights into the development and execution of Van Gogh's works are his letters to his brother, Theo, and others. In his typically detailed and precise manner, Van Gogh describes the origin of the first three works in this series: I have 3 canvases on the go, 1) 3 large flowers in a green vase, light background (no. 15 canvas), [A] 2) 3 flowers, one flower that’s gone to seed and lost its petals and a bud on a royal blue background (no. 25 canvas), [B] 3) twelve flowers and buds in a yellow vase (no. 30 canvas). So the last one is light on light, and will be the best, I hope." [C] (666). A few days later Vincent writes in Letter 668: "I’m now on the fourth painting of sunflowers. This fourth one is a bouquet of 14 flowers and is on a yellow background."[D]

After Van Gogh's mental breakdown late in December in 1888, he would go on to paint three additional copies (F 455, F 457, F 458) of the original four sunflower works.

Quotes in Letters

"You know that Jeannin has the peony, Quost has the hollyhock, but I have the sunflower, in a way." (Letter 741)

"Thinking like this, but very far off, the desire comes over me to remake myself and try to have myself forgiven for the fact that my paintings are, however, almost a cry of anguish while symbolizing gratitude in the rustic sunflower. " (Letter 856)

A Note on the Species

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are an annual plant native to North and South America. The species includes more than thirty varieties including "Orange Sun" and "Taiyo." The large, puffball like specimens seen in Van Gogh's paintings are known as the "Teddy Bear" variety.

Text Credit: vggallery.com

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Additional image editing by Eric Glaser

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November 6th, 2020

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