Artist: Stephen Hansen
Title: Sunflowers, third version (Van Gogh)
Medium: Acrylic/Paper Mache'
Dimensions: 25"h x 20"w
The artwork is a creative interpretation of Vincent van Gogh's famous painting "Sunflowers." It features a painter character dressed in colorful, paint-splattered clothing. He stands on a ladder, painting the flowers on the canvas. He is painting from reference, as a sculpted representation of the flowers sits below him on a table. The arrangement of sunflowers is vibrant and dynamic, showcasing a variety of yellows, oranges, and greens. The piece plays with the concept of interaction between the artist and the artwork, blending reality with art.
When Van Gogh moved to Arles in 1888, he entered into a prolific period in which he infused his works with yellow hues. The paintings were considered innovative, partly because newly invented pigments made new colors possible. Art critics marvel at the detail and depth van Gogh drew out of layering shades of yellow. The vibrancy of the new colors, such as chrome yellow, helped van Gogh achieve the intensity of Sunflowers. Though he battled with mental illness and self-doubt, the painter found joy in creating the Arles Sunflowers. Van Gogh wrote in a letter to his brother Theo, “If I carry out this idea there will be a dozen panels. So the whole thing will be a symphony in blue and yellow. I am working at it every morning from sunrise on, for the flowers fade so quickly…..“the sunflower is mine.”