Vincent Van Gogh - "Wheat Field with Cypresses" 1889

 Vincent Van Gogh’s painting "Wheat Field with Cypresses" made on canvas with oil depicts the cycle of life, death, and growth. First of all the colors used in the painting are different from other paintings of Van Gogh I have written about such as the “Cafe Terrace at Night” and the “Starry Night” paintings, these paintings all utilize the color palette of yellow, yellow ochre, and blue. This painting feels light, of course compared to the other two this painting is a depiction of daytime scenery. There is not a lot of story behind this landscape painting, but the symbolisms are very important. The word symbolism means ‘the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities’. 

One symbolism is the rolling wheat field, wheat fields depict the cycle of life and growth, the layered paints, Van Gogh’s famous painting style gives the field life. The painting may be a reflection of Van Gogh’s life at the time. During this time he had experienced a mental breakdown and cut off his left ear, then willingly admitted himself into a mental asylum. There he spent the next year looking out the window of his room. The painting was inspired by the view from the asylum's window towards the Alpilles mountains, which is why this painting reflects on a lot of the elements seen in the “Starry Night”. Back to the symbolisms in the painting the rolling clouds shows a continuous movement that shows the ongoing of life, growth, and death. The constant movement and flow of life. The clouds are painted with such feeling and movement, when viewing it it feels light you are afloat in the rolling of the sky. Lastly the cypress trees are a symbol of death. They are often connected with mourning and death, this could be Van Gogh’s way of showing his mourning for his slow descent into insanity. The contrast between the cypress trees and the rolling wheat field contrasts the idea of life and death. The painting feels peaceful, undisturbed in movement, constantly moving forward and not stopping. Just like how life will constantly move forward no matter how much you want to stop and take a break. 

In a time like now with the lockdown and thousands of people dying I reflect on this painting of life, death and the continuous flow of time. It is truly a painting made in the past describing the present. At a time like now I hope people could hang on to that hope, because between life and death there is only hope that keeps a person going. Someone's path may end anytime but hope can always bring the light into the darkest moments. For all the people in quarantine do you reflect your experience right now with the painting?

Vincent Van Gogh - "Wheat Field with Cypresses" (1889 72.1 cm × 90.9 cm (28.4 in × 35.8 in)