Iris

Van Gogh encountered irises growing wild in the garden at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole almost immediately after his arrival in May 1889, and his response was an immediate act of painting that seemed to channel his distress into sustained looking. He wrote to Theo that painting flowers in the asylum garden allowed him to feel calm and absorbed — a therapeutic function he valued without irony. There are at least four significant iris canvases from the Saint-Rémy period, varying in composition, colour key, and viewpoint; the National Gallery of Canada's version differs from the better-known Getty Museum example in its handling of the background and the colour emphasis. Van Gogh had admired Japanese botanical prints since his Paris period, finding in Hiroshige and Hokusai's close observation of individual plants an alternative to the western tradition of the decorative flower bouquet — an art of intense attention rather than elegant arrangement. The Getty version sold at auction in 1987 for $53.9 million, then the highest price ever paid for a painting.

The irises are rendered with vigorous, directional impasto strokes that follow the natural structure of petals and leaves. Deep violet-blue of the blooms is offset by the warm ochre of the earth and the pale background. Individual flowers are treated with close attention to form, while the overall arrangement achieves a dynamic compression of natural growth within the frame.