When Japan opened up to trade with the West in 1854, previously unknown works of art began to appear in Europe. Ukiyo-e, or “picture[s] of the floating world” were particularly popular in salons in France. Their simplicity and unconventional framing set them apart from classical European art and despite this (or perhaps because of it), European painters quickly began to try to emulate them. One of these was Vincent van Gogh.
In February 1890, during his stay in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, van Gogh painted one of his most famous works. Inspired by the Japanese genre, the painting, entitled Almond Blossom, was created for the newborn son of the artist’s beloved brother, Theo. Almond trees flower early in the spring, making them a symbol of new life.
The painting depicts branches of a blossoming almond tree in the style characteristic of van Gogh and features strongly outlined contours and bright colors set against a uniform background. The artist used mainly blue, white, and green with a few yellow and pink accents. The inspiration for the canvas might have been one of the works by Kunisada Utagawa—around 1885, brothers Vincent and Theo van Gogh started amassing a collection of Japanese woodcuts. More than four hundred of them are now on display at the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Van Gogh wanted to gift his nephew something special. In letters to his mother and sister, he confided that he was deeply moved that the new parents named their firstborn Vincent. Although working on the painting exhausted him, he was overjoyed—he wrote to his brother that the painting was his best creation, and one “painted with great calm and patience.” Van Gogh’s choice of words is meaningful—calm was the greatest blessing for the unhappy artist struggling with mental health issues. Theo responded that he had hung the painting above his son’s cradle, and little Vincent stared at it with curiosity.
Almond Blossom is a beautiful expression of brotherly love and one of van Gogh’s last works. He died on July 29, 1890—less than five months after completing the canvas.
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