Vincent van Gogh White Roses oil on canvas 1890 National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Pamela Harriman in memory of W. Averell Harriman

Over the course of his career Van Gogh painted a number of still lifes -- often of sunflowers, irises, or roses. To him they were full of life.

The painting of roses seen here was done during the last three weeks Van Gogh was at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. It was a time of acceptance: he felt he was coming to terms with his illness, coming to terms with himself. He wrote to Theo that he worked on flower paintings that depicted great bunches of violet irises and big bouquets of roses, including this one. In fact, his letters indicate almost exactly when this work was produced. On either 11 or 12 May 1890 he mentions "a canvas of roses with a light green background."

In this work the paint surface is lush and sensual. Pigment is laid on thickly in undulating ribbons; diagonal lines accentuate the background and play into the curves of the roses. Van Gogh used a very limited palette in this canvas to create an image of exquisite subtlety and richness.

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