Wheatfield and Cypress Trees
7:00 AM
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Vincent Van Gogh, Wheatfield and Cypress Trees, 1889
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Van Gogh painted this painting as part of a series shortly after leaving a mental institution where he had stayed after a series of mental breakdowns. These paintings built on a series of earlier works he had painted of the view into the meadows outside his hospital from the window of his room. Van Gogh’s new feeling of freedom bursts out of the canvas in the rich luxurious blue of the sky and the graceful curves of the cypress trees. I think now my favorite part of this painting is the sky. I love the color he uses; it seems delicate and fragile in its beauty. Looking at the sky makes me feel that I am missing something. The clouds fit into the sky in a pattern that seems to lie just beyond my grasp.
A horizontal line sharply divides the middle of the painting. The warmth of a sunny, windblown meadow contrasts with the cold austerity of the mountains beyond and the sky that lies above. However, the painting retains a sense of continuity. The reason lies in the lines—no change seems sharp when made with a series of sinuous lines that seem to flow like water across the page. I don’t really remember why I didn’t like this painting at first. I certainly can’t think of a reason to dislike it now.
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