Vincent van Gogh admitted himself to asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole, in Saint-Remy in May 1889. During his stay there he was surrounded by gardens, which obviously was the inspiration for Irises. Starry Night was also created around this time, along with about 130 other paintings.

In September of that same year a few of van Gogh’s paintings were shown in Rhone at the the Société des Artistes Indépendants Exhibition in Paris. His brother, Theo, wrote him shortly after this, “The exhibition of the Independents is over and I’ve got your irises back; it is one of your good things. It seems to me that you are stronger when you paint true things like that, or like the stagecoach at Tarascon, or the head of a child, or the underbrush with the ivy in vertical format. The form is so well defined, and the whole is full of colour.”

Van Gogh viewed this painting as a “study,” and therefore there is not drawing of it. He studied the movement of each flower individually, making them unique, and giving each one their own vivid coloring.  Also, like other artists of this time, Van Gogh was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints. This painting in particular shows the influence that the Japanese woodblocks had, especially seen through the thick and dark outlines of the flowers.

Irises is currently located in Los Angeles, at The Getty Center. It’s also on the list of the most expensive paintings ever sold, selling for 54 million dollars in 1987.