Van Gogh: From Paris to Arles
I was recently researching the history of the color green and came across a painting by the artist Vincent Van Gogh (30 March 1853–29 July 1890). It really struck me, not not only because of its vibrancy, but also because of its wider context and meaning. The painting, titled Grass and Butterflies , was made by Van Gogh between May-July 1887 during a period which marked an important turning point in his work. Vincent van Gogh, Grass and Butterflies, 1887 Van Gogh painted Grass and Butterflies during his time in Paris during 1886-1887. His works before Paris, made during his years in the Netherlands, are generally characterized as having much darker tones and gray-ish palette. Whilst Van Gogh had studied the theories of color, used by Eugène Delacroix, and learned all about the importance of using contrasts in paint to create dynamism and expression, the overall darkness of his palette failed to make his paintings ‘come alive’. After his move to Paris in early 1886, he realized wh...
