Vincent van Gogh. The Red Vineyards near Arles (1888)

The Red Vineyards near Arles

Stories behind the Works of Art

We could make this publication thanks to small donations. How is 3 minutos de arte supported?

The Red Vineyards near Arles (1888). Vincent van Gogh

Vincent wrote to his brother Theo, “We saw a red vineyard, all red like red wine…” and went on describing in his usual passionate way the vibrant coloring of the scene he had painted.

This painting and its meaning after being painted make us think about the world of art, Vincent van Gogh, and an Impressionist female painter almost unknown to us, whose name was Anna Boch.

The Red Vineyards is the only work that a great painter such as Van Gogh managed to sell in his lifetime. (Maybe it was not the only one, but that would not change things much.)

It was sold in the exhibition of the group Les XX in 1890, which exposed avant-garde ideas and what was new and daring in art.

One of the most sensitive people in history (we may be exaggerating a little), Anna Boch, was the one who valued Vincent’s work and bought it. No one else. And there is an extra curious fact: in that same exhibition, which was attended by artists and people from the open-minded, forward-thinking art world, a couple of paintings of the famous sunflowers were also on display.

In fact, Vincent was much admired by the young painters of his time, but this anecdote is crucial to reflecting on the value of art and the appreciation we have for it, far beyond its quantifiable value in money.

Recommended links:

“I consciously choose the dog’s path through life. I shall be poor; I shall be a painter…”

Van Gogh, Arles and Yellow.

The Last Self-Portrait of Van Gogh.

Wheatfield with Crows (1890).

Van Gogh and the Swirling Brushstrokes.

The last days of Van Gogh.

Post-Impressionism.

Cloisonnism.

Van Gogh and his Translation of Millet.

You can also find more material using the search engine.

Would you like to support 3 minutos de arte?

Our project.