'Irises' is, without doubt, one of Van Gogh's most iconic paintings. It was painted in 1889, a year before the artist's death, while he was confined to an asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in Southern France. Photo: AFP
Few artists seemed to love colour as much as Vincent van Gogh. The Dutch painter would juxtapose bright hues to express the emotions he felt when contemplating nature. But sometimes, there are more to the colors Van Gogh used than meets the eye, as evidenced by his Irises.
Irises is, without doubt, one of Van Gogh's most iconic paintings. It was painted in 1889, a year before the artist's death, while he was confined to an asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in Southern France.
It depicts a flowerbed of splendid blue irises with green leaves, with dandelions in orange tones in the background. But researchers at the J.Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Conservation Institute claim that Van Gogh's irises were originally violet, not blue.
They made the discovery in 2020, when the J.Paul Getty Museum was closed due to the pandemic. Extensive laboratory examinations revealed that Irises had been painted with a violet paint that Van Gogh had created himself by mixing blue and red pigments. Over the years, however, these red hues faded with exposure to light. This explains why Van Gogh's spring flowers now appear blue, rather than more purple in hue.
Art historians have long suspected that the Dutch artist's Irises are not what they seem.
In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh refers to his "violet irises." This handwritten document will soon be on display at The Getty Center in Los Angeles, as part of a major exhibition devoted to the artist's Irises. Here, visitors will be able to see this painting in a new light, and learn more about its history.
For Irises is a far more surprising painting than it seems. In particular, it conceals a pollen cone, lodged in the paint in its lower left-hand corner. This botanical element must have crept into the painting while Van Gogh was working on his masterpiece in the garden of the asylum where he was staying in Saint-Remy-de-Provence.
The exhibition Ultra-Violet: New Light On Van Gogh's Irises will run from Oct 1, 2024, to Jan 19, 2025, at The Getty Center in Los Angeles. – AFP
