Roses

The roses were originally pink, but fading changed their relationship with the green ground. The paint was so thick that Van Gogh left the canvas at Saint-Rémy to dry in May 1890. It reached him later in Auvers. Present color and transport history reveal the work's material life.

A pale vase sits beneath the flowers. Its compact shape supports the large, unevenly spreading bouquet.

Apparently white roses gather at the center. The original pink pigment faded, leaving a color different from the painter's choice.

A long leafy stem drops to the left. It extends the bouquet beyond the dense central group.

Loose flowers lie on the table. Their placement connects the vase with the surrounding surface.

Pale diagonal strokes cover the green ground. Its relationship with the formerly pink flowers was stronger than their present condition reveals.

Van Gogh left Saint-Rémy before the paint had dried, so the canvas was sent later. The thickly painted roses have since faded. His letters preserve evidence of their original pink colour.