Sunflowers and Vincent van Gogh just go together even though somewhat counterintuitively. Vincent van Gogh did many paintings of sunflowers, completing seven in Arles and four in Paris. Although the brightness of these paintings seems to deny our common knowledge of van Gogh and his life, he wrote that these flowers communicated gratitude which is a lovely sentiment to paint in a life of pain. He painted these flowers with the energy of his impasto technique in a palette of his beloved yellow.

Sunflower, 1888 is part of the collection of the National Gallery in London.

Let’s address again the dense melancholy of van Gogh’s life. He told his brother, Theo, that he hoped to sell this painting for $125.00. It did not sell during his lifetime. None of his paintings did except the ones his brother bought anonymously. A few years ago this work sold for $40,000,000. There is such a sad weight of lived failure and posthumous success in the life story of this artist.

I hope as the seasons change now and we move through our own stories we think of Vincent van Gogh’s struggles, disappointments, and love for a bright and sunny flower. We give God thanks for this man and his passion for painting.

In gratitude, faith and hope,