Irises

Description

Van Gogh Irises gathers a restless bouquet into a scene of unexpected calm. Stems and leaves twist through the vase, while the flowers spread across a pale ground in a lively balance of movement and stillness.

Vincent van Gogh painted this vase of irises at Saint-Rémy in May 1890, shortly before leaving the asylum. It belongs to a group of four flower still lifes: two arrangements of irises and two of roses. The artist sought a gentle harmony between violet blooms and a pink background, though the original pigments have faded with time. The Met’s Van Gogh Irises is this horizontal bouquet, distinct from his earlier garden painting of irises.