Vincent van Gogh, A Wheatfield With Cypresses
1889Paintings sorted by Historical period | Painter | Subject matter | Pigments used
White clouds
Pure zinc white
Blue sky
Zinc white and cobalt blue
The turquoise sky in the right top edge
Viridian and zinc white
The blue mountain to the left
Zinc white and cobalt blue
The green bush below the mountain
Zinc white, chrome yellow, and viridian
The darker green bushes in front of the cypresses
Pure emerald green
The green plants in the bottom-right edge
A mixture of emerald green, hydrated chromium oxide green (viridian), zinc white, and chrome yellow.
The wheatfield
Chrome yellow with zinc white in the lighter parts.
The poppies in the lowest part of the painting
Vermilion
The mauve streak
Zinc white, artificial ultramarine, and possibly chrome orange
Hover the mouse over the white points to learn about the pigments used at this spot.
Overview
Medium: Oil
Support: Canvas
Size: 72.1 x 90.9
Art period: Post-Impressionism
National Gallery London
NG 3861
Van Gogh painted three versions of this theme. The first version was most probably painted outside and is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
He then copied a new version of approximately the same size in his studio. This version is now in the National Gallery in London and is also shown here. The third smaller version is in a private collection in the US.
Overview
Medium: Oil
Support: Canvas
Size: 72.1 x 90.9
Art period: Post-Impressionism
National Gallery London
NG 3861
Van Gogh painted three versions of this theme. The first version was most probably painted outside and is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
He then copied a new version of approximately the same size in his studio. This version is now in the National Gallery in London and is also shown here. The third smaller version is in a private collection in the US.
Location in Saint-Rémy in France
Van Gogh painted ‘A Wheatfield with Cypresses’ while staying at the hospital Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy in Provence.
Click to view the actual Google map
Large copies of twenty-one of van Gogh’s paintings painted in Saint-Rémy can be admired as a part of the Promenade dans l’univers de Vincent van Gogh while taking a walk around the hospital and in the surrounding landscape.
Pigments
Pigment Analysis
This pigment analysis is based on the work of A. Roy, National Gallery London (1).
The white sky (Nr 1) is painted in pure zinc white, the blue sky (Nr 2) contains zinc white and cobalt blue.
The turquoise sky in the right top edge (Nr 3) contains viridian and zinc white.
The blue mountain to the left (Nr 4) contains zinc white and cobalt blue. The green bush below the mountain (Nr 5) contains zinc white, chrome yellow, and viridian.
Van Gogh used two green pigments in this painting. The pale green bush below the blue mountain (Nr 5 – see image above) is painted in viridian, chrome yellow, and zinc white. On the other hand, the darker green bushes in front of the cypresses (6) contain pure emerald green. The green plants in the bottom-right edge (Nr 7) are painted in a mixture of emerald green, hydrated chromium oxide green (viridian), zinc white, and chrome yellow.
The wheatfield (Nr 8,9 and 10) is predominantly painted in chrome yellow with zinc white in the lighter parts.
The poppies in the lowest part of the painting (Nr 11) are painted in vermilion, the mauve streak (Nr 12) contains zinc white, artificial ultramarine, and possibly chrome orange.
References
(1) Leighton, J., Reeve, A., Roy, A., White, R. ‘Vincent Van Gogh’s “A Cornfield, with Cypresses“‘. National Gallery Technical Bulletin Vol 11, pp 42–59.
