Pink Roses

Painted at Auvers-sur-Oise in June 1890, this bouquet of pink roses belongs to the series of flower paintings Van Gogh made during his final weeks. He was working at extraordinary pace at Auvers, and flower studies offered a mode of concentrated observation that allowed him to work through his anxieties. He described flowers as among the surest routes to colour harmony. Now at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, this canvas shows the continued vitality of Van Gogh's vision right up to the end of his life — the roses painted with the same passion and intensity as any of his most celebrated works.

Dense clusters of pink roses are painted with layered, petalled impasto strokes that create a sculptural, three-dimensional floral mass. The vivid pink of the blooms is heightened by the contrasting cool blue-green of the background. The composition is relatively close-up and intimate, the roses filling the canvas with a concentrated burst of organic form and colour.