Irises was one of the famous paintings of Holland painter Van Gogh. It was made in May 1889 before his death when he entered a mental hospital in Saint Remy in France. It is now preserved in Paul Gates Gallery in California, United States of America. This painting is one of the early works after Van Gogh’s staying in Saint Remy. In this painting, there are rich colors, fine and changeable lines, and the white flowers on the left and the light blue flowers echo with each other. The painter carefully arranges the position of flowers to guide the audience’s sight. The whole picture is full of rhythm and harmony. In November 11, 1988, Irises was sold for $53000000, which shocked the world and caused some controversy. Some people called for in the newspaper, “The culture should keep a moral distance from the business.” Irises are as ordinary as sunflowers. Van Gogh painted them aiming to show the expectations for life. Van Gogh intended to open his heart to the flowers, giving the blood to the root, the eyes to the petal and himself to the flower itself, as described "Mei's wife" of the poet Lin Fu. Irises was the paradise bird of Van Gogh’s soul. In 1892, Tang Ji (Van Gogh’s friend) sold this painting to the critic Octave Mirbeau with the price of 300 francs. Tang Ji was one of the earliest appreciators of Van Gogh’s early works. Like many other paintings of Van Gogh, this painting was constantly sold. At an auction in 1988, someone called out a whopping price of $53000000. We can see people’s understanding and measure of value. Van Gogh’s paintings also made interpretations to the phenomenon of economic laws. In the past one hundred years, the increasing price of Irises and the rising prestige of Van Gogh were nearly synchronous. The reason why the painting was able to be sold with a terrified price in 1988 was not only because the wealthy millionaire regarded the auction as the dazzling stage to show off, the unpredictable market value and the intrinsic value of the mysterious art, but also because Van Gogh’s poverty and indomitable spirit had greatly raised the value of his works. In his early ten-year painting career, Van Gogh almost never sold any works. But within only one year, Irises and other three paintings were sold a rather high price, which was undoubtedly the ironic victory of the painter in society. And this victory only made him more legendary. More about Vincent Van Gogh For more, please visit Artisoo.com
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