ABC Wednesday – I is for Irises

Published on by Margaret
Irises by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Van Gogh painted Irises after he committed himself to the asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Remy, France. He began the painting only one week after he entered the asylum. He was probably influenced by Japanese woodblock prints; the black outlines in Irises is typical of the Japanese prints.

Irises is on the list of the most expensive paintings ever sold, selling for 54 million dollars in 1987.

It’s beautiful.

13 thoughts on “ABC Wednesday – I is for Irises”

  1. The amounts of money van Gogh’s paintings are sold for are just insane. I wonder what he would think if he was told – there’s a great Doctor Who episode where he is at least told how highly we think of him as an artist now.
    What strikes me is how real the flowers look, like you can reach into the painting and pick a few.

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  6. Van Gogh is one of my favorite painters and Irises one of my favorite paintings. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing it in-person and it really is amazing.

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  7. A great contribution to I-day. How can one not love the painter or his work. Thank you for a chance to see the Irises today!
    HelenMac, ABC Wednesday team

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  10. I wonder what Van Gogh would’ve thought if someone bought his paintings for $$$$ while he was alive. Would he have stopped painting? You make a very good point about the possible Japanese woodblock influence.

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