Cypresses (Les Cyprès)
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Object Label
This drawing dates from Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 stay at a psychiatric asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, during a period when he became fascinated with the dark, obelisk-like forms of cypress trees. He sent it to his brother Theo in July of that year as a way to “show” him what the paintings he was working on looked like. The canvas that corresponds to this drawing is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Not only is Brooklyn’s work on paper a “reproduction” in the sense that it was made to represent a painting, but it also draws from the visual vocabulary of the inexpensive contemporary prints that van Gogh adored, using an abbreviated language of dots and dashes to communicate tonal effects. He executed this and other drawings of this period with an improvised pen made from a sharpened stalk of a local reed—a technique that forced him to work quickly and assertively.
Caption
Vincent van Gogh Dutch, 1853–1890. Cypresses (Les Cyprès), June 1889. Brown ink and graphite on wove Latune et Cie Balcons paper, 24 3/8 x 18 5/8 in. (61.9 x 47.3 cm) Other: 24 1/2 x 18in. (62.2 x 45.7cm). Brooklyn Museum, Frank L. Babbott Fund and A. Augustus Healy Fund, 38.123. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 38.123_SL3.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Cypresses (Les Cyprès)
Date
June 1889
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Brown ink and graphite on wove Latune et Cie Balcons paper
Classification
Dimensions
24 3/8 x 18 5/8 in. (61.9 x 47.3 cm) Other: 24 1/2 x 18in. (62.2 x 45.7cm)
Credit Line
Frank L. Babbott Fund and A. Augustus Healy Fund
Accession Number
38.123
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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