Irises

This painting of Irises was created by Vincent van Gogh in 1889, during his first few weeks at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He painted it just before his first major attack, and he considered the act of painting itself a way to keep his illness at bay.

The context is one of healing and intense observation. He worked in the asylum garden, using the dramatic, sweeping curves of the iris leaves and the vibrant color of the flowers to focus his mind. He was less concerned with realistic structure than with capturing the energy and life force of the plants.

The painting is a deeply moving example of his devotion to nature as a source of comfort and vitality. It is an honest and powerful portrait of the natural world seen through the eyes of an artist fighting for his health.