Vincent van Gogh's Olive Trees

Vincent van Gogh repertoire of infamous paintings includes, Starry Night, self-portraits, a series of haystacks, and a collection of landscapes. I am especially captivated with the Olive Groves series. Vincent van Gogh’s Olive Trees painting is approximately two and a half by three-foot oil on canvas work that was obtained for the MIA with the help from The William Hood Dunwoody Fund. While Van Gough painted fifteen “Olive Tree” paintings, he painted the piece found in the MIA in 1889. The first noticeable characteristic of Olive Trees is a yellow sun at the top and slightly to the right of the center. Below the sun there are many dull, dark, and daring green olive trees with long midnight blue shadows. The trees are planted in red brownish, dry, rough, earth. Behind the olive trees rests a misty, cold, light blue mountain. Van Gogh adapted impressionism and yet his artwork has a very clear “Van Gogh” style. Olive Trees is a cartoon like picture. Instead of pixels, though, Vincent uses brushstrokes. Furthermore, Olive Trees represents plenty extra than what meets the eye.

All artworks are a compilation of graphic fundamentals and ethics of purpose. In Olive Tree, adabbed landscape of Vincent van Gogh, two things stick out to the viewer immediately: a pronounced shape---a circle representing a sun---, and a rather large mass representing olive trees. The whole painting is made up of short half inch to inch strokes. My favorite aspect of this painting is the lighting van Gogh uses. In his yellow hues there are metallic like substance stirred in, which makes the sun seems to shimmer. Then lower near the ground some of the brown under the trees have the same metallic shine to it, which suggests the sun “peeking” through the trees. Interestingly enough, the shadows are too long for where the sun sits. This could be a clue to Vincent van Gogh’s process. Maybe he started the painting in late afternoon and by the time the sun had sunken and the shadows grown long he just painted what he saw. The lighting and the effects of lighting are everywhere. In addition, without a doubt the oil in Olive Trees created texture and patterns. We notice the uneven ground with fat clumps of paint. On the other hand, we observe the smooth circular heat waves protruding around the solid yellow sun. Also, a clear vantage point focused down the middle where a hidden mountain resides. From that point, a valley like path is made down the middle. To the left and right countless olive trees are rooted, giving the painting superb balance. An interesting contrast, yet small detail, is the ink black outlines of the trunks of all the trees, which create depth and establishment. From brushstrokes to the color wheel, Olive Trees presents a wonderful masterpiece ingrained with technique and essentials.