Comparison of Vincent van Gogh and Francisco de Zurbaran



Title- The Vase with 12 Sunflowers
Artist- Vincent van Gogh

Date- 1888
Medium- Oil on canvas
Location- National Gallery London, London, United Kingdom
Dimensions- 91 × 72 cm (35.8 × 28.3 in)



• Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter who painted some of the most powerful images ever created.
• The artist felt an intense connection with his surroundings, and he was able to visually capture the movements and energies of nature. By emphasizing the elements of line and color, van Gogh transformed the scenes he saw around him into masterpieces.
• He famously wrote to his brother Theo: "I want to do paintings which touch some people."
• Since Vincent Van Gogh was not a successful artist until after his death so he did not receive much recognition for his work during the time they were created. It wasn’t until after his death where he was seen as one for the world greatest post- impressionism artist.
• The colour of sunflowers was particularly important for the Van Gogh, who developed a personal colour symbolism in which yellow suggested happiness and optimism. In this painting the yellow- dominated palette is intensified by the contrasting blue outline of the vase.

Title- Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose
Artist- Francisco de Zurbaran
Date- 1633
Medium- Oil on Canvas
Location- Norton Simon Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA, USA
Dimensions- Height: 60 cm (23.6 in), Width: 107 cm (42.1 in)

• Zurbarán devoted himself to an artistic expression of religion and faith. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting saints, monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still life’s.
• Religious people, the church and the wealthy took a greater interest in Francisco de Zurbaran work because of his use of rich colour and tone and his historical and religious depictions of people, animals, saints and objects in the Catholic faith.
• The symbolic reading in “Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose” where the citrons are a paschal fruit and signify faithfulness; the basket of oranges represents virginity; orange blossoms, fertility; water, purity; and the rose is a symbol of divine love. The image has been construed as a tribute to the Virgin Mary. Additionally, I believe that the structural division of the composition into three separate parts might suggest to the Trinity.
• The placement of the items works well for the painting as they contrast each other, working together to create and harmonious piece.
• I believe that this is a successful artwork because of the rich and passive colours and the way the composition is geometrically perfect. The objects clarity and realistic aspects truly makes this painting and amazing piece of art.