Red Cabbages and Garlic

Red Cabbages and Garlic (1887), at the Van Gogh Museum, is one of the most characteristically Dutch of Van Gogh's Paris still lifes, connecting the chromatic experiments of his French period to the vegetable subjects he had painted obsessively in his Nuenen years. Red cabbage—with its complex, layered structure and deep blue-purple-red coloration—appealed to his interest in vegetables as subjects of intense visual interest regardless of their ordinary status. The garlic beside it adds a complementary pale note and a strong aromatic association, as if the painting were meant to stimulate multiple senses simultaneously.

The red cabbage's complex layered interior and exterior present a compositional challenge Van Gogh meets with varied brushwork—long strokes following the outer leaves, tighter circular marks in the cut interior revealing the concentric structure. The deep red-purple is likely contrasted with yellows and whites to exploit complementary colour relationships. The garlic's pale, papery forms provide textural and colouristic contrast.