Van Gogh, Vincent (1853-1890)
La Plaine d’Auvers / Champs de Blé près d’Auvers (The Plain of Auvers / Wheat Fields near Auvers)
1890
Oil on canvas, 50 × 101 cm
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
A blue-green sky, like after a rain, descends in a narrow strip over the Auvers plain. The landscape seems to literally soak up the color. While individual flowers glow in red and orange in the foreground, the tones merge more and more towards the horizon. The depth and the high horizon capture the enormous expanse of the area, impetuous brushstrokes form its peaks and valleys. Van Gogh spent the last two months of his life here. When his brother Theo sent him long-awaited canvases and paints, he fell into a veritable creative frenzy. Dozens of paintings like this one were created. The painter died soon after completing it. (Belvedere)