Irises

Irises is a famous impressionist painting by Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh.
You can find other Van Gogh paintings here.

Just like his series of Cypresses, Irises was painted whilst Van Gogh was living at the asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France at a point in his career when he was achieving extraordinary levels of quality and creativity. The relative tranquillity of the Irises shows that Van Gogh was stable in his mood at the time and it was before he experienced series relapses close to his sad death.

Irises is just one of many popular works that were created from his prolific but short career as an artist in France. Van Gogh's Post-impressionist techniques remain popular with art followers and his classic 19th century paintings are displayed in major exhibitions around the world, particularly Europe and North America. His unusual style of painting has been attributed to his unstable mental condition and it's originality is a major reason for his success.

The Irises is believed to be influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which have proven great stimulators over this era with their unusual colours and techniques. The best elements were the strong outlines, unusual angles and clear bold colouring.

Vincent's brother Theo Van Gogh, an art gallery owner, decided to exhibit the Irises alongside Starry Night Over the Rhone at the Société des Artistes Indépendants in September 1889. The painting is now stored at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California after being purchased for a huge amount which remains one of the highest prices for an oil painting ever.

We have many other Van Gogh paintings available to buy as reproductions, you can see a full list of famous Van Gogh paintings below:

• The Night Café
• Irises
• The Yellow House
• Falling Autumn Leaves
• L'allée des Alyscamps
• Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers
• Cypresses
• Starry Night Over the Rhone
• The Starry Night
• Irises
• Self-portrait
• The Church at Auvers
• Portrait of Dr. Gachet
• Thatched Cottages by a Hill
• Wheat Field with Crows
• Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat
• Potato Eaters
• A Wheatfield with Cypresses