Vincent van Gogh – Flowering almond tree branches
“Let flowers speak” Joseph Beuys once said. Vincent van Gogh showed him how to do it and was not the first!
On the canvas in the landscape format of 73.5 x 92 cm branched gristly branches. Their tips are lined with delicate flowers. The weave stands out from the background both in terms of color and feel: on closer inspection, despite the limited overall palette, a richness of different shades of blue becomes apparent, resembling the color spectrum of a summer sky. The white flowers and buds feature yellow-pink or red accents. The bright colors contrast with the intense blue tones. However, the gray-green branches seem to partially disappear into the background at their fine ends. The impasto application of paint gives contour to the branches and blossoms; the sky is also composed of several thick brushstrokes. Outlines of the branches clearly delineate the motif from the background. The blossoms are cut at the edges of the picture and seem to take their origin at the lower edge of the picture. The oil painting corresponds to the detail of a budding almond tree.
Vincent van Gogh made “Blossoming Almond Tree Branches” in 1890 in Saint-Rémy as a gift for his newborn nephew. The son of his brother Theodor and his wife Joanna Bonger was born on January 31 of the same year. When the artist learned that the child would be named after him, namely Vincent Willem van Gogh, he immediately set to work on the artwork. In a letter to Theo he wrote: “The last canvas of the flowering branches – you will see that it is perhaps the best, the most patient work I have ever done, painted with calm and greater determination. And the next day, dejected as an inhuman.”
Despite its fame, the gift is not the first or only pictorial fixation of an almond branch by the hand of the Dutchman. Already in the spring of 1888, immediately after arriving in Arles, the artist painted 14 pictures of fruit trees within a month. Due to unexpected snowfalls, van Gogh cut the branches of first blooming almond trees to capture them as still lifes. “Flowering Almond Tree Branches in Glass” exists in several versions. Due to the choice of motif, all the paintings are grouped together as a series called “Almond Blossoms”.
Almond Blossom, 1890
The Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is a huge figure in the Post-Impressionist movement that cleared the way for modern art. Despite selling only one painting in his lifetime he’s now regarded as one of the greatest modern European artists, known for the paintings ‘Sunflowers’ and ‘The Starry Night’.
Our extensive collection includes these iconic works as well as many other stunning van Gogh prints.
The Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is a huge figure in the Post-Impressionist movement that cleared the way for modern art. Despite selling only one painting in his lifetime he’s now regarded as one of the greatest modern European artists, known for the paintings ‘Sunflowers’ and ‘The Starry Night’.
Our extensive collection includes these iconic works as well as many other stunning van Gogh prints.
Vincent Van Gogh
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‘Beautiful print, excellent quality and service from King & Mcgraw.’
‘Beautiful print. Delicate colours. Arrived quickly and very well packaged’
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‘Excellent service, picture arrived on expected date . Framed to a high standard . Third picture from King and McGaw, won’t be the last .’
‘Beautiful, good print. Would recommend’
‘high quality print, arrived very quickly’
‘Great service. Really pleased with the print . The finish on the back of the print is great too . I will definitely be using this company again and would highly recommend them too .’
‘Almond Blossom is a wonderful example of Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘rush’ to get paint on a surface when he sees something – usually something natural – that inspires him. So many of his tree/orchard paintings, the majority of which appear to have been completed in spring, demonstrate his determination to capture an instant – when the light is perfect for the subject – and the appreciative viewer can almost feel his passionate/terrified urgency. Just superb. And surprisingly sad too.’
‘Reminds me so much of spring and the summer to come’
