Les Iris was painted by Vincent van Gogh during his time at the asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence and one year before his death. He said then that painting was the lightning conductor of his illness and as such kept him from going insane. This painting has been in the collection of the Getty Museum since 1990.

I am taken by the less frenetic feel of this painting. He did not use the thick impasto paint of earlier works, lessening the static of his obvious brushstrokes and their abstraction. This is a representational work of the view from his window and seems to reflect his retreat from a world that was so hard on him. This retreat seems symbolized by the lack of horizon line or sky. It is a present moment captured by a man whose brain seldom let him rest. And although not joyful, this work seems to speak of softness and natural light sans moodiness or maniac despair.

I hope this painting brings you more deeply into the present moments of your day. God is near in the colors, the arrangements, the details of the beauty that surround you. May you breathe in beauty often and find yourself centered in the God who loves you always. Amen.

In gratitude, faith, and hope,

Sandy Prouty
Minister of Children and Families
Montview Church