Iris

Painted at Saint-Rémy in May 1889 shortly after his arrival at the asylum, Van Gogh found irises growing wild in the garden and painted them with concentrated intensity. The iris series at Saint-Rémy allowed him to work through his distress by focusing on the orderly complexity of flowers. He had long admired Japanese woodblock prints, particularly Hiroshige's botanical works, which showed a similar reverence for the individual beauty of flowers. This version, held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, differs from the better-known Getty version in its composition and colour emphasis.

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.