Van Gogh's Cypresses

By Susan Alyson Stein With essays by Charlotte Hale, Silvia Centeno, Alison Hokanson, and Marina Kliger Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) immortalized the cypress tree in signature images that have become synonymous with his fiercely original power of expression. This richly illustrated publication illuminates the backstory of his invention for the first time, from his initial investigations of the motif in benchmark drawings from Arles to his realization of their full evocative potential in such iconic canvases as _The Starry Night_ and _Wheat Field with Cypresses_, painted at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. Susan Alyson Stein retraces the Dutch artist’s inspired response to the flamelike evergreens as they gained ground in his works and artistic thinking over the course of his sojourn in the South of France. The volume provides further insight into Van Gogh’s creative process through a technical study focused on two celebrated works from the artist’s epic painting campaign of June 1889. The visual and literary heritage of the cypresses is featured in a compilation of images and excerpts from nineteenth-century poetry, novels, and travel writing—many translated into English for the first time.

Maker

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Materials

Hardcover

Dimensions

9" x 10"

Period

19th Century

Category

Books

About the artist

Vincent van Gogh

Dutch painter (1853–1890)

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