Van Gogh and the Olive Groves

Van Gogh and the Olive Groves combines deep focus on the olive tree motif with a multifaceted approach to reveal the formal, technical, and spiritual aspects of the paintings during his time in a Provençal asylum. The book contextualizes the work within Van Gogh's artistic production and explores its personal and religious resonance. It also features in-depth findings on the artist's technique, materials, and palette from a three-year cross-disciplinary conservation science research project. The series, produced between June and December 1889, employs the motif as a constant in Van Gogh's exploration of color, line, and subject, representing the spirit of Provence.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 03 September 2021
Publisher: Yale University Press

Van Gogh and the Olive Groves is a groundbreaking exhibition that brings together a significant series of paintings by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) that he dedicated to the motif of olive trees during his time in the asylum of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The book contextualizes this work within Van Gogh's artistic production and delves into its profound personal and often religious resonance. It also features in-depth findings on the artist's technique, materials, and palette, resulting from a three-year cross-disciplinary conservation science research project that meticulously examined all 15 paintings.

Of particular interest are new discoveries concerning Van Gogh's use of unstable pigments, his application of paint en plein air versus in the studio, and the chronology of the series. Produced between June and December 1889, this bold and highly experimental series employs the motif as a constant in the artist's passionate investigation of the expressive powers of color, line, and subject. Painting the olive trees at different times of day and in different seasons was a quest to unlock their quintessential features, which to him represented the spirit of Provence.

The exhibition is distributed for the Dallas Museum of Art and will be on display from October 17, 2021, to February 6, 2022. It will then travel to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, where it will be on display from March 11 to June 12, 2022. This is a rare opportunity to witness the remarkable artistry of Vincent van Gogh and explore the profound connection between his work and the olive trees that inspired him.

Weight: 1514g
Dimension: 267 x 290 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300260076