Van Gogh. Wheatfield with Crows (1890)

Van Gogh

Fundamental Paintings to Understand the History of Painting

Wheatfield with Crows (1890). Van Gogh
Oil on canvas. 50 cm x 103 cm
Van Gogh Museum. Amsterdam, Netherlands

If we had to characterize all the paintings of modernity with only one word, this would be “expressionist.” Modern painting started when artists began to show their own emotions and feelings, their own vision of things, their inner world, instead of showing the external world as it is.

Although Van Gogh was not part of the Expressionist movement (beginning of the 20th century), today he is one of the favorite painters in the world due to his expressive force, the impasto and the vibrant color that, as we can imagine, would be of great influence for the future French Fauves and German Expressionists.

His work was extensive, about 800 paintings painted in just 8 years of production, but when we think about “expression,” we probably think of Wheatfield with Crows. So, following this train of thoughts, we may say that this is an emblematic painting of modernity.

A key point is that, in addition to being an Expressionist painting, it reflects that idea of the sensitive, poor, misunderstood and tortured artist that comes up when we think about modernity.

This work —one of the last ones of Vincent, painted a couple of weeks before an attempt of suicide— is considered as a “premonition.” He died two days later.

In his dramatic brushstroke (quick and with the impasto technique, influenced by the pointillism artists Seurat and Signac and by the Impressionist Pissarro) the way he felt his last days was reflected. Van Gogh is usually remembered as a mad, sad, lonely and tormented man, but we have to bear in mind that all that existential anguish combined in a counterpoint with his creative force and his passion and fascination with nature.

Van Gogh painted for 8 years and then tried to commit suicide. But it was too late to take his life away.

Recommended links:

Van Gogh and the Swirling Brushstrokes.

The last days of Van Gogh.

The Touch of Van Gogh.

The Red Vineyards near Arles (1888).

Cloisonnism.

Van Gogh and his Translation of Millet.

Other translations of Van Gogh.

The Touch of Van Gogh II.

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