GOGH, Vincent van (b. 1853, Groot Zundert, d. 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise) |
Olive PickingDecember 1889, Saint-RémyOil on canvas, 72 x 90 cm Private collection | |
Catalogue numbers: F 655, JH 1869. During the last six or seven months of 1889, Van Gogh did at least fifteen paintings of olive treesa subject he found both demanding and compelling. In the olive trees in the expressive power of their ancient and gnarled forms Van Gogh found a manifestation of the spiritual force he believed resided in all of nature. His brushstrokes make the soil and even the sky seem alive with the same rustling motion as the leaves, stirred to a shimmer by the Mediterranean wind. |