🎨 Discover the true colours of Vincent's bedroom! Did you know it originally looked different? Vincent carefully chose colours that enhanced each other. In a letter to Theo in October 1888, Vincent mentioned the exact colours he used: ‘The walls are of a pale violet. The floor – is of red tiles. The bedstead and the chairs are fresh butter yellow. The sheet and the pillows very bright lemon green. The bedspread scarlet red. The window green. The dressing table orange, the basin blue. The doors lilac’. Over time, the purple colour faded to blue. This digital colour reconstruction shows the original colours Vincent intended. (1) Would you let Vincent make interior choices for your bedroom? 😉 1. Digital colour reconstruction of 'The Bedroom' (1888) 2. Present state of 'The Bedroom' (1888) #vangogh #colours #painting #museum #art

You’re not seeing double, or triple! 🌳🌳🌳 For Vincent, this painting captured the essence of the olive grove, which is why he repeated the composition twice. Whenever he was satisfied with a painting, he made multiple versions: one to keep for himself, one for his brother to sell, and one to give away as a gift. Which olive grove impresses you the most? 1. ‘Women Picking Olives’, November 1889, Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation 2. ’Women Picking Olives’, December 1889, The National Gallery of Art, Washington 3. ’Women Picking Olives, December 1889, The Metropolitan Museum of Art #vangogh #paintings #artist #art #nature

💭 Vincent painted this work as a memory of Brabant, the place where he had grown up. The huts you see here belonged to the poor labourers, which he called 'peoples' nests'. These 'nests' represent the rural life of Brabant and the security of family life, both of which he missed while being a patient in the psychiatric institution in Saint-Rémy. Can you tell that Vincent painted this from memory? If so, let us know how in the comments. ‘Houses and figure’, 1890, in the collection of The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia #vangogh #dutch #painting #art #inspiration

Can you guess which painting was by which artist? We haven't made it easy, so we will be really impressed if you get them all right. Match the names of the following painters with the numbers on the paintings: Vincent van Gogh Paul Signac Charles Angrand Emile Bernard Georges Seurat Share your answer with us in the comments! Want to know more about the artists behind the paintings and how they relate to each other? Come and find out at our new exhibition 'Van Gogh along the Seine', on view until 14 January. #vangoghmuseum #exhibition #art #vangogh #artist

👀 Before you read any further, first look at the colours in this painting ‘Garden of the Asylum’. Try to notice what type of feelings they evoke. ‘Garden of the Asylum’ was more than an impression of the atmosphere in the garden. Vincent intended the colours and style to communicate a sense of fear and disappointment. In a letter to Émile Bernard he wrote: ‘This combination of red ochre, of green saddened with grey, of black lines that define the outlines, this gives rise a little to the feeling of anxiety from which some of my companions in misfortune often suffer.’ Did you feel any fear or anxiety? #vangogh #museum #painting #colours #amsterdam

A vibrant still life! 🍇🍋🍐 In 1887, Vincent painted a series of fruit-themed canvases. Using a simplified palette and bold brushstrokes, he embraced complementary colours like yellow and purple, blue and orange, and red and green. The dynamic patterns and intense chromatic contrasts help bring the fruits to life. The painting was probably among the ‘violent still lifes’ – to quote Vincent’s friend and painter Émile Bernard – that he included in the group exhibition of young avant-garde artists that he organized at a local restaurant in the winter of 1887. How would you describe this painting? ‘Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples’, 1887, in the collection of The Art Institute of Chicago #vangogh #stilllife #fruit #painting #art

⛪ Vincent didn't find his true direction in life until he was 27 years old. Before that, he tried several different jobs, including work as a lay preacher. He worked in the Borinage mining region in Belgium, teaching, visiting the sick and giving Bible readings. Vincent lived among the miners and their families, sharing their poverty; he slept on the floor and gave away his possessions. His dedication was such that he was nicknamed ‘The Christ of the Coal Mine’. Vincent nevertheless failed to establish a close-knit community of worshippers and his contract was not renewed. 1. ‘Coke Factory in the Borinage’, 1879. 2. Coal mine in the Borinage region of Belgium #vangogh #vangoghmuseum #religion #art #museum

🎨 ‘Millet is above all, and more than anyone else, the painter of mankind’, wrote Van Gogh, (March 1883). Van Gogh greatly admired the work of Jean-François Millet, a renowned French painter known for his portrayal of rural life and peasants. Millet's depictions of labourers and their connection to nature deeply resonated with Vincent. He saw in Millet's work a sincerity and emotional depth that he similarly sought to capture in his own paintings. ‘The Reaper’ (after Millet), 1889, private collection #vangogh #inspiration #millet #art #dailyart

A reversed sky 🌀 This loosely painted sky creates an unfinished look, which led many people to believe this was Vincent’s last work. However, Vincent intentionally left open spaces. He started with painting the sky white and then added the touches of blue on top, creating the reversed sky effect: a white sky, with blue clouds. His aim was to see how far he could go in his application of anti-illusionist elements – something he achieved here in a highly inventive way. Works like these clearly show how Vincent’s style in Auvers differs significantly from other artists who worked there at the same time. His bold use of colour and expressive brushwork are unparalleled. 'Farmhouses in Auvers-sur-Oise' (1890) © Atheneum Art Museum #vangogh #painting #art #artist #museum

See the red line around the edges of these paintings? 🧐 Vincent used it for practical reasons. Through technical analysis and by examining canvas formats, we've discovered that all three paintings were created from a single roll of canvas. Vincent often embarked on the five-kilometre walk from his brother's apartment in Montmartre in Paris to the banks of the Seine outside the city, lugging the large canvas roll and other painting supplies with him. It was quite the workout. After unrolling the canvas, he divided it by marking the frames of each picture plane with red paint. The red line guided the later cutting of the canvas to separate the three works. Vincent made three triptychs during his time working along the Seine near Paris. Over the years, the individual works have been dispersed across various museums and private collections. The exhibition 'Van Gogh along the Seine' reunites seven of the nine works. 'The Clichy Triptych' showcased here emphasises nature, with lush vegetation dominating all three canvases. 🌿 1. ‘Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy (Asnières)’, 1887 2. ‘A Woman Walking in a Garden’, 1887 3. ‘Riverbank in Spring’, 1887 Want to see the triptych in person? The exhibition ‘Van Gogh along the Seine’ is on display until 14 January. #vangogh #vangoghmuseum #art #paris #museum

👨‍🌾 Vincent was renowned for immersing himself in nature while painting en plein air, spending long hours outdoors. He believed that direct contact with nature allowed him to capture its essence and convey its emotions in his artwork. Inspired by the countryside, he often depicted scenes of rural life, including 'Harvest in Provence,' a landscape painting from 1888. This piece beautifully showcases the vibrant golden hues of a bountiful harvest, symbolising the cycle of nature's abundance. ‘Harvest in Provence’, 1888, in the collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem #vangogh #nature #painting #art #inspiration

Vincent’s first oil paints 🖼️ Thanks to a financial gift from his brother Theo, Vincent bought his own oil paints for the first time, choosing browns, yellows and greens – a 'practical palette'. He explained to his brother how he wanted this painting to give people the feeling 'that one can breathe and wander about in it - and smell the woods'. (August, 1882) It’s thought that Vincent painted this work on his knees, not only from the low perspective, but research has also shown that pieces of oak leaves from the forest floor at the bottom of the painting ended up in the wet paint. (2) Do you smell the woods when looking at the painting? ‘Girl in a Wood’, 1882. In the collection of Kröller-Müller Museum. #vangogh #painting #palette #art #museum #dailyart