(Above is the painting version located at The National Gallery of London.  For a better image and more info, click here.)

(For an image and more info about the painting version located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, click here.)

Several months ago, in June 2018, I visited the National Gallery of London.  During my examination of the numerous paintings and exhibitions on display, the simple complexity of one particular artwork attracted my interest.  The evident lack of straight lines and the mixture of contrasting cool and warm colors in Vincent van Gogh’s A Wheatfield with Cypresses establishes an equivocal atmosphere within the scene of this composition.  The accompanying exhibit label for this painting at the National Gallery states Van Gogh produced this oil-on-canvas painting in 1889 during his time as a patient at the St-Rémy mental asylum near Arles, France.  The reason why I am analyzing this piece of art on an online blog about art in New York City is because Vincent van Gogh created three different oil painting versions of this image in 1889, with the original version currently located and on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Van Gogh had an idiosyncratic interest in the magnificent cypresses that grew near the asylum, and, therefore, was inspired to create several variants of his work to share with others.  The bright colors and symbolic real-life landscape are the epitomai of van Gogh’s characteristic Post-Impressionist art style he employed to instill varying emotions and thoughts into the viewer’s mind.

In regards to the particular aspects of the painting, I feel an overwhelming sense of freedom and tranquility when viewing the composition due to the wavering appearance of the thickly-layered wheatfield illustrating the effect of wind blowing through the field.  The wind reminds me of being alleviated from responsibility as the refreshing breezes of air travel through my hair and reduce the tension in my body and mind.  The most captivating element is the undefined structure of the bright white clouds superimposed over the calm blue sky, signifying, in my opinion, the principles of individualism in a world comprised of complexity and rigid social standards.  The clouds are, at the moment, unbounded from authority and can do whatever they desire as independent entities.  Also, the addition of mountains in the background of the image evokes seclusion from the burdening forces of human society and encapsulates the unaltered beauty of nature.  The mountains act as a barrier and protect, as noted in the title of the painting, the cypresses within the wheatfield to form a haven for unconstrained life.  Lastly, the towering presence of the cypress tree reaching toward the sky on the right of the artwork resonances both the concepts of physical and intellectual growth as the mind strives toward a higher, unattainable level of knowledge humans desire to achieve but don’t yet have the resources to acquire it.

Admittedly, it feels bizarre how the first time I viewed this painting at the National Gallery, I just thought it was an intricate painting of an impressive countryside view Van Gogh genuinely admired.  However, after engaging in a closer analysis of the elements and symbolism of the artwork, I have discovered a drastically different understanding and appreciation of the level of detail and consideration Van Gogh dedicated to this piece of art, let alone the fact that he created a total of three oil paintings of the same scene.  As of today, I have yet to view in-person the oil painting on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but I hope to visit the museum to see it within the next two months.  It will be intriguing to note if my impression changes and if I notice any additional observations of the artwork when I view it at the Met after conducting a thorough examination and research for this blog.

– Patrick Perrigo