Sunflowers
1887
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
17 x 24 in. (43.2 x 61 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
Vincent van Gogh’s *Sunflowers* (1887) captures the artist’s fascination with nature’s vibrant forms during his Paris years. Painted in oil on canvas, this modest still life reflects his transition from darker, Dutch-period works toward the luminous color and expressive brushwork that would define his later style. The compact composition, measuring just 17 by 24 inches, focuses on a few blooms arranged with lively, textured strokes that already hint at the emotional intensity for which he is celebrated. Created while van Gogh lived in the French capital, the painting belongs to an early group...
About the Artist
Vincent van Gogh · 1853–1890
Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853-1890) stands as one of the most influential figures in Western art history, despite a career spanning merely a decade. Born in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands, to a Protestant pastor's family, van Gogh's path to artistic greatness was anything but conventional. His early adulthood saw him working as an art dealer for Goupil & Cie, a language teacher, and a fervent missiona...