Van Gogh's Cypresses

The first book to study Vincent van Gogh's fascination with cypresses, the "tall and dark trees" that feature in some of his most iconic pictures.This groundbreaking study of paintings and drawings of cypress trees by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is the first to focus on the artist's unique treatment of this subject. Challenging prevailing views about the artist's preoccupation with the flamelike trees that played such an important role in the works made in the South of France near the end of his life, Susan Alyson Stein retraces Van Gogh's progressive exploration of the subject – from ink on paper to such iconic canvases as Starry Night (1889) and Wheat Field with Cypresses (1889). Drawing on new research, this richly illustrated publication explores the expressive force, symbolic meaning, and stylistic ambition of these pictures, illuminating the backstory of their invention. Excerpts from nineteenth-century poetry, novels, and travel writing – many translated into English for the first time – offer a rich and resonant context for these images. The volume also includes a scientific study of The Met's Cypresses (1889) and Wheat Field with Cypresses that provides fresh insights into the artist's process.