Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The first book to study Vincent van Gogh's fascination with cypresses, the "tall and dark trees" that feature in some of his most iconic pictures This groundbreaking study of paintings and drawings of cypress trees by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is the first to focus on the artist's unique treatment of this subject. Challenging prevailing views about the artist's preoccupation with the flamelike trees that played such an important role in the works made in the South of France near the end of his life, Susan Alyson Stein retraces Van Gogh's progressive exploration of the subject--from ink on paper to such iconiccanva ses as Starry Night (1889) and Wheat Field with Cypresses (1889). Drawing on new research, this richly illustrated publication explores the expressive force, symbolic meaning, and stylistic ambition of these pictures, illuminating the backstory of their invention. Excerpts from nineteenth-century poetry, novels, and travel writing--many translated into English for the first time--offer a rich and resonant context for these images. The volume also includes a scientific study of The Met's Cypresses (1889) and Wheat Field with Cypresses that provides fresh insights into the artist's process.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Synopsis
The first book to study Vincent van Gogh's fascination with cypresses, the "tall and dark trees" that feature in some of his most iconic pictures Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) immortalized the cypress tree in signature images that have become synonymous with his fiercely original power of expression. This richly illustrated publication illuminates the backstory of his invention for the first time, from his initial investigations of the motif in benchmark drawings from Arles to his realization of their full evocative potential in such iconic canvases as The Starry Night and Wheat Field with Cypresses, painted at the asylum in Saint-R my. Susan Alyson Stein retraces the Dutch artist's inspired response to the flamelike evergreens as they gained ground in his works and artistic thinking over the course of his sojourn in the South of France. The volume provides further insight into Van Gogh's creative process through a technical study focused on two celebrated works from the artist's epic painting campaign of June 1889. The visual and literary heritage of the cypresses is featured in a compilation of images and excerpts from nineteenth-century poetry, novels, and travel writing--many translated into English for the first time.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (May 22-August 27, 2023)