If we look at Van Gogh’s paintings we can see a sharp contrast between the bright yellow of his Sunflowers and the solemn bold green of his Cypress trees. Cypress trees are often associated with immorality and longevity, but they also symbolize mourning, as in ancient cultures they were associated with death. Van Gogh’s paintings of Cypress trees were meant to be an antithesis to his work with Sunflowers, with the vibrant yellow plant representing life. He stated that they were "the complimentary and yet the equivalent." However, as Vojtech Jirat-Wasiutynski points out, there is an irony in this comparison, as the Cypress trees will maintain their green and life long after the sunflowers have withered and died. Van Gogh painted a variety of subjects in his lifetime, but during the last few years of his life he focused on these two plants specifically. Many of his sunflower paintings were created in Arles, while his cypress trees were made during his stay in Saint Remy. Scholars often focus on the darker symbolism of cypresses when discussing Van Gogh’s work, but to Van Gogh the trees did not merely represent death. One scholar, Susan Alyson Stein, explains that to Van Gogh cypress trees were a symbol of fortitude. While the sunflowers may fade, across time and across seasons, the cypresses remain, “obelisks” as Van Gogh called them, a symbol of strength, striking against the landscape and reaching for the sky.
Vincent Van Gogh, Sunflowers, January 1889, Oil on canvas, 95 cm x 73 cm. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. From www.vanoghmuseum.nl
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers depicts a vase full of the orange and yellow blossoms, set against a yellow background. Some of the flowers stand straight, while others have begun to twist and bend, shedding their petals. Van Gogh created many works by the same name. This one was created in Arles in the south of France using only a few shades of yellow and green. Though they are in varying stages of development, the Sunflowers are vibrant and full of life. Van Gogh often used yellow to depict joy.
Vincent Van Gogh, Orchard in Blossom Bordered by Cypresses, April 1888, Oil on canvas, 12 3/4 × 15 3/4 in. (32.5 × 40 cm), Yale University Art Gallery, From www.metmuseum.org
One of Van Gogh’s earliest paintings of cypress trees, Orchard in Blossom bordered by Cypresses shows a narrow path leading through flowering trees. In the distance one can see a clear blue sky and a line of cypress trees. The Cypresses guide us across the painting, acting as a solid line to draw us in. They are not the focal point of the painting, but act as a dark border to the blooming gardens. The trees are not as stylized as they are in some of Van Gogh’s later works, but we can see their Obelisk-like structure.
Van Gogh, Cypresses, 1889, Oil on canvas, 36 3/4 x 29 1/8 in. (93.4 x 74 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As the name suggests, this painting marks the beginning of Van Gogh’s focus on the cypress tree. This work was created at the beginning of his stay in the asylum of Saint Remy. This work depicts a pair of cypress trees twisting up into the sky. In the background lie dark blue mountains, puffy clouds, and a pale yellow crescent moon. The Cypresses seem solemn against the bright colors of the surrounding landscape, but are painted with the same short curving brushstrokes as the sky.
Shed with Sunflowers is one of Van Gogh's first depictions of the plant. It was drawn soon before he began his series on the plant. The simple drawing depicts a shed against a pale blue sky with a fence going along its side. Sunflowers grow along this fence, reaching almost the top of the shed. The blossoms only take up a small portion of the painting, but the bright yellow is striking against the blue walls of the shed. A female figure stands nearby, presumably someone living on this farm. The drawing depicts life in its simplest form.
Van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1887, Oil on canvas, 17 x 24 in. (43.2 x 61 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Created before his more well-known work Sunflowers, this painting of sunflowers shows two cut blossoms lying on a blue background. The blue is reflected in the center of the flowers. The flowers still maintain hints of life, with a thin layer of golden yellow petals surrounding their brown centers, but much of the color has faded and the stems and leaves have begun to wither. These plants were once vibrant, but now are only an echo.
Van Gogh, Green Wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889, oil on canvas, 73.5 x 92.5 cm, National Gallery in Prague, from www.ngprague.cz
Painted in the summer of his stay at Saint Remy, much of this painting is taken up by a growing field of wheat which is bordered by darker bushes. In the background towards the middle stand the familiar shape of the Cypress trees. The trees are a dark mark against the growing field, and it is easy to see how they were associated with mourning. The trees here are more stylized than some of Van Gogh’s earlier works.
Van Gogh, Wheat field with Cypresses, 1889, Oil on canvas, 28 7/8 × 36 3/4 in. (73.2 × 93.4 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art
Like the name suggests, Wheatfield with Cypresses shows a field of golden wheat blowing in the wind. Behind it stand two cypress trees, one shorter than the other, and both reaching to the top right corner of the painting. Here we see the colors most prevalent in Van Gogh’s sunflowers directly next to the deep green of the Cypress trees. The darker value of the trees draws our eyes. Painted around the same location as Green Wheatfield with Cypresses, this painting shows a landscape that is turning into the colors of autumn. Despite the change of season, the Cypress trees maintain that same green.
Van Gogh, the Starry Night, 1889, Oil on canvas, 29 x 36 1/4" (73.7 x 92.1 cm) Museum of Modern Art, From www.moma.org
Arguably Van Gogh's most famous painting, Starry Night is well known across the world. The painting features the town of Saint-Remy underneath an incredible night sky filled with stars, which Van Gogh depicts as balls of yellow and white with light swirling around them. The bright colors curl around the sky leading us around the painting. While the painting is famous for its depiction of the night sky, the cypress tree on the left side of the piece is just as instrumental. Although the leaves and branches of the tree curl and twist, the darker color grounds us in contrast to the swooping sky. The tree reaches for the stars, mirroring the position of the church in the background. To Van Gogh, the Cypress trees were like the steeple of the Church. They were monumental and displayed the grandness of nature.
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