"I like this painting and I was very impressed with the work done by the artist who made the copy. It is beautiful and I love it! Thank you. - Etienne"
Cypresses replica in oil on canvas
Van Gogh Studio is located in Amsterdam, near the Van Gogh museum where we can study the original works. Our paintings are all painted in oil on canvas by mainly Dutch artists who have studied Van Gogh's technique, including brushstrokes, color mixing, atmosphere and the rhythm of painting.
Van Gogh’s Fascination for Cypresses
Cypresses was painted by Van Gogh in June 1889, just about a month after he had arrived at the
Saint Remy’s mental asylum. This was on one of those days when he was allowed to leave the vicinity of the asylum and paint in the open air.
He loved to go out in the groves of the
cypress trees and paint them as they were. Cypresses always fascinated Van Gogh because they were tall and massive and of a dark tone that looked very interesting, especially against the sun-drenched landscape.
He made about fifteen canvases in the
cypress series. He was fascinated by them when he was in
Arles and the fascination continued even when he admitted himself into the Saint Remy Asylum.
While most saw Cypresses as an emblem of death, Van Gogh considered them absolutely beautiful. When he was in Arles the trees were featured in a distance in his canvasses; however you can see them in the foreground in the paintings that he made in Saint Remy.
In his letter to his brother Theo, he wrote: "Cypresses still preoccupy me; I should like to do something with them like my canvases of
sunflowers. They are beautiful in line and proportion like an Egyptian obelisk."
About the Painting
The cool color dominance in the painting is very evident except for the
dark cypress trees that take up almost 50% of the canvas space. Although the circular brush strokes in the
blue and white sky catch your eye, your focus returns to the tall dark conical shape of the cypress trees.
The dark-blue mountains outlined in
green and the light green bushes on the ground contrast well with the dark green of the cypresses. Overall, it is a treat to the eye.
Cypresses at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
If you wish to treat your eyes with the view of the original painting of Cypresses, you may have to travel all the way to New York and visit the
Metropolitan Museum of Art