Speakasso › Paintings › Irises
Irises
Vincent van Gogh, 1889
A bed of blue irises in the garden of the asylum at Saint-Rémy, where Van Gogh admitted himself in May 1889. It is among the first works he made there: not yet allowed beyond the walls, he studied the garden below his window at close range. No horizon, no sky, only writhing leaves, rust-red earth and orange marigolds behind. Among the blue blossoms stands a single white one. Van Gogh called the painting 'the lightning conductor for my illness'; work kept him steady. His brother Theo sent it straight to the Salon des Indépendants.
What is in the painting
- The single white one. At left, among the blues, stands one lone white iris.
- Writhing leaves. Long green leaves twist like tongues of flame.
- Orange backdrop. Behind the bed, a band of orange blooms and rust-coloured earth.
Did you know? In 1987 the painting sold for $53.9 million, a record at the time, but the buyer could not pay, and the Getty acquired it in 1990.
About the painting
- Artist
- Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)
- Year
- 1889
- Style
- Post-Impressionism
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 74.3 × 94.3 cm
- Where to see it
- J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
How to describe it in Speakasso
In Speakasso you describe the painting in your own words and an AI draws it again. These words are forbidden in this round — each one costs 15 points:
A description that scores high
A close-up of a garden bed crowded with tall blue-violet blooms on long stems, filling the whole picture with no horizon. Long green leaves twist and writhe like flames between them. On the left, one lone white bloom stands out among the blues. Across the top runs a band of orange marigolds and rust-red earth. Bold outlines and thick short brushstrokes, like a Japanese print done in oil paint.
The tricky part: Say tall blue-violet frilly blooms on long stems, with one white one on the left and rust-red earth behind.
The method behind it: what is painted first, then where things are, then colour and light, then the style. Read the full guide
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