Wheatfield with crows

Painted in the final weeks of his life, this swirling field of wheat is one of Vincent van Gogh's most famous works. A dark blue sky presses down over golden grain, while a flock of crows scatters into the air. Three paths cut through the field, seeming to lead nowhere in particular. Van Gogh made this painting in July 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, just outside Paris, during a burst of intense creativity right before his death.

For years people have read this picture as a kind of suicide note, a sad goodbye full of loneliness and despair. The crows and stormy sky certainly feel heavy. But the truth is probably more complicated. In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh actually described his wheatfields as expressing "health and fortifying powers," and he was experimenting with wide, dramatic canvases to capture the vast countryside. Whatever he meant by it, the thick brushstrokes and clashing colors of blue and yellow pull you right into the moment, as if you can feel the wind moving across the field and the birds taking flight all at once.