Van Gogh - The Irises

Vincent Willem van Gogh, painter and draftsman, was born in 1853 in Groot-Zundert in the Netherlands, and died in 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. His work, full of naturalism, inspired by impressionism and neo-impressionism, announces fauvism and expressionism. At the beginning of the 21st century, he is one of the most famous painters in the world.

This painting Irises was influenced – as was the work of many artists of the time – both by the nature around him and by 17th-century Japanese woodblock prints: very sharp contours, unusual angles and flat colours. There are no preliminary drawings of the Irises. Van Gogh considered this painting a study in itself. It was presented at the Salon des Indépendants in September 1889.

The Irises, 1889
J. Paul Getty Museum , Los Angeles