Why Van Gogh Loved Sunflowers
A little known reason, besides the color and form
"I find comfort in contemplating the sunflowers." - Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh, the 19th century Dutch artist, is famous for his paintings of sunflowers. He loved them so much that he painted a total of eleven sunflower still lifes. What was the aspect of annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) that enticed Van Gogh? He admired their vibrant yellow color, their bold form and the fact that they are sturdy, common plants (he called them the ‘rustic’ sunflower). But there was another reason that made him paint pictures of cut sunflowers in a vase.
Vincent Van Gogh saw the sunflower’s floral solar disc as something of a symbol. According to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, he had written that the sunflower paintings communicated ‘gratitude’. He felt that the simple, sun-like image of the common sunflower could convey the powerful idea of nature’s bounty and beauty itself. Indeed, the National Gallery in London, England reports that its sunflower still life by Van Gogh is one of their most popular paintings. It is the artwork that is most often reproduced on cards, posters, mugs and stationery in their store. It seems we all respond to the happiness of sunflowers and its message of nature’s glory!
There are many varieties of annual sunflowers, including dwarf and tall varieties with colors ranging from bright yellow to lemon yellow to orange, pink, and even burgundy. And there are those that are grown especially for seed harvesting like ‘Super Snack Mix’ which has a solitary 10-inch wide flower on a 5-foot-tall plant.
Annual sunflowers are easy to grow from seed if you have full sun and growing room. Sunflowers are warm-weather plants so wait until the soil has warmed to at least 55 degrees F before sowing seeds. Sunflowers do best in a spot sheltered from the wind. For a longer sunflower bloom period, plant a row or group of sunflowers every two weeks for four to six weeks during the early summer. They make a great cut flower. Grow a lot of them and you can have a vase full of sunflowers, just like Vincent painted.
HAPPY SUMMER! I wish all sunny things to come your way….
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Love imagining a cheery Van Gogh - perhaps as someone who clearly experienced such extreme emotions the sun flowers' combination of sluggish droop and cheery ode to the sun felt resonant.
I love sunflowers--it's even in my logo! :) BTW: Renee's Gardens has the best sunflower seeds IMHO. They even have Van Gogh sunflower seeds, which are very cool.