16

lris, 1890

Irises grow in profusion in the South of France and there were many in the garden at Saint-Rémy. Van Gogh isolated this single plant, just coming into full bloom, almost as if he were painting a portrait. He used cardboard as a support as he was running short of canvas at the time.

Oil on cardboard, later thinned and mounted on canvas

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 1954