(Dutch, 1853–1890)
“I’d like to paint in such a way that if it comes to it, everyone who has eyes could understand it,” wrote Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo in 1888. At the time he was working on the first of the sunflower paintings for which he would later become widely known. Using paint and ink to express his intense feelings about the people, landscapes, and flora of the world around him, Van Gogh worked feverishly for eleven years, continually experimenting with technique, color, and point of view.