Vase with Flowers

Van Gogh's vase with flowers painted at Kröller-Müller's collection dating from 1886, his Paris period, shows him engaged in the intensive study of color that his contact with Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism made possible. Flower still lifes were a traditional subject through which painters tested their chromatic skills, and Van Gogh used them systematically during Paris to practice the high-keyed palette and broken brushwork he was absorbing. The transition from his dark Dutch period to the luminous color of Arles and Saint-Rémy is visible in these Paris flower studies, where the transformation occurs painting by painting.

The flowers are organized in a relatively dense bouquet, each bloom receiving individual attention through varied brushwork. The palette is noticeably lighter and more chromatic than his Dutch period, with clear Impressionist influence. Color relationships between adjacent blooms are observed with the analytical attention of a painter consciously learning new methods.