Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Orchards at Arles

The Pink Orchard

Blossoming Peach Tree 1888

Blossoming Pear Tree

Orchard with Peach Trees in Blossom

Orchard in Blossom 1888

The White Orchard at Arles 1888

These are some of my favourite paintings by Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. These were painted when he moved into the Yellow House in Arles in 1888 where he sought sunlight and peace, many of his masterworks were created here.

I love the colours and textures and the subject matter of the fruit trees in the orchard, the greens and yellows... these painting are a contrast to some of his other works, I would like to think that there is an element of tranquility in his life when van Gogh painted these.

I am not going to embark on a long history of his life here, he was a troubled soul with a long history of deep depression, then a tragic death. I think all of you are aware of this man but if you need more information of course you can research him on the Internet.

I would like you to enjoy these paintings for the beauty he has given us and the thoughts these images evoke,take a moment to imagine the fragrance of the blossoms and of the beautiful fruits when they are borne on leafy branches...a small insight into the rural life at Arles in the 19th century.

Vincent van Gogh 1853 - 1890

26 comments:

Lee said...

A troubled man but some most enchanting paintings.

darkfoam said...

beautiful paintings .. i have been blessed to be able to see a lot of his art work in various museums including the yellow house which hangs in the van gogh museum in amsterdam.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing these pictures, Dianne. You've made my day bright! Today, is a very sunny day with wonderful blue sky here, so I've decided to take a long walk into the county of Hampshire and hope to post a few photos at Brasserie Alizé later. I'll be in my Chat Room at 21:00 GMT tonight, or 08:00 AEDT tomorrow morning if you'd like to try the chat out.

Little Lamb said...

Those are very pretty.

Anonymous said...

vincent
is my favorite
artist of all time

what an eye!

¤ ¤ ¤

/t.

Anonymous said...

I am indeed pleased to find you here still. Dear friend, such strange dreams I have been having of late. Well, I do hope your health is well, your spirits are consolidat'd & for the present, I bid you a very fine evening. My thoughts remain with you during those necessary engagements of yours tomorrow through which you must proceed with courage & strength.

I remain your ardent admirer & obedient servant, &c.
Colonel Brandon.

darkfoam said...

my thoughts are with you, dianne..

XO

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Impressionism always fascinates; it's there and yet it's not.

The Phosgene Kid said...

Van Gogh had a real ear for art.

dianne said...

Yes Lee dear,
van Gogh was certainly troubled,
it seems many of these artists lived
a Bohemian lifestyle, drinking absinthe, drugs such as opium and
other substance abuse,alcoholism, living in poverty yet they produced these wonderful works of art.
I think these paintings are beautiful and its sad to think these creative people lived such mental pain. ♥

dianne said...

Foamie dear I really love these paintings for their colours and textures, how wonderful to be able to visit the museums and see them...The Yellow House would suit me just fine.
You have done a lot of traveling from what I have read in your post...I feel that I have missed out on so much, only lived half a life.

Thank you for your wishes for today, the funeral was lovely, everything went perfectly, from the flowers, music, the Naval chaplain, the eulogies and tributes which my sons delivered. It was a beautiful Autumn day and we celebrated my Dad's life surrounded by loving family and dearest friends, he was a wonderful man and I'm sure he would have been pleased, just a very sad but lovely day. ♥

dianne said...

They are very lovely dear Lil Lambie , I love the colours and the feel of the orchards he has portrayed. ♥

dianne said...

/t. dear, van Gogh is wonderful, there are so many
of his works that I admire, the colours, the textures, some just have a simplistic feel about them but when you observe closely they are far from that...there is so much beauty.
I especially like these, I love the colours, landscapes are my favorites.
I also like Sisley, Camille Pissaro and some of Monet & Renoir, I will be doing posts on some of these artists in the future.
I saw the Renoir exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney when it was here.
There are so many fantastic lesser known artists of the impressionist and post impressionist era. ♥

dianne said...

Dear Colonel Brandon

I thank you dear friend for your kind wishes and thoughtfulness, I will call on you in Hampshire directly...if I find you are not there I shall leave a calling card or wait for you in the garden.

I remain yours, most sincerely
Ms Dianne
Somersby Manor

dianne said...

j cosmo my dear it is fascinating, just look at the colours and textures here I like it because there is a certain softness in the blending of the lines and colours. ♥

dianne said...

Oh Phossy my dear,you are cute, he didn't just have an ear for art, he was also very perceptive, he saw the beauty and painted it. ♥

dianne said...

Alexandre my dear, I left a message for your at Brasserie Alize. ♥

sparringK9 said...

this painter's life is very instructive. at this time he was suffering from heartbreak and lack of money and recognition. he felt very alone.

but we are never alone with all of creation are we? a cheerful blossom and bird song and the goodness of living things. poignant that he captured beauty as riotous and abundant considering his situation. i will take this as my own meditation for today.

lovely post.

puerileuwaite said...

I think these particular works from Vincent Van Gogh may have been a wee bit inaccurate. I cannot locate a German tank in the background of any of these paintings.

boneman said...

I posted the pear tree (don't ask how much because the postage would cost more than the painting, and that in itself is embarrassing) and, I think when you see it, you, too, will agree, there is no resemblance to these.
And of course not.
The least pricey of these paintings (not to mention the one not here) is more than all of our blogging friends put together could afford. Way more.
I also use only three colors, where his base colors use more than five.

boneman said...

The closest I came was the picture i replaced the parrot with, the orchard picture you left out of your group.

and, there you have it.

dianne said...

Thank you dearest K9
Nice to hear that you enjoyed my post.
Yes van Gogh did have a very sad life but despite all of the problems he encountered he still produced these beautiful works of art for us to admire and enjoy... sometimes we do our best work and are more sensitive to our surroundings when we are under duress.
Definitely something to think about, its a shame these artists have to die before they gain the recognition they deserve.
That wont happen to you my sweet girl. ♥

dianne said...

Oh Puggles my sweet,
you didn't look carefully enough those tanks were either hiding in the orchard or behind 'The Yellow House', they could have even been in the barn or were painted with 'tree' camouflage. ♥

dianne said...

Oh Boney what have you done?

Have you posted me the painting that is on your blog now, why, you cannot afford that kind of postage?
That is really very sweet of you and I thank you, I will treasure it because you painted it... but of course I will reimburse you for the postage (I know how expensive it is) and the cost of the painting itself.
I have your address remember.
Thank you so much. ♥

dianne said...

Gosh just how much is the cost of the painting...I may have to sell a kidney. :-(

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