Small Pear Tree in Blossom by Vincent Van Gogh Table Number

Small Pear Tree in Blossom by Vincent Van Gogh, oil on canvas 1888, is a landscape painting of a lone fruit tree in a garden or orchard enclosed by a stone wall and wooden fence, surrounded by other trees and shrubs. Van Gogh delicately delineates the growth and character of the small pear tree and its flowers in bold outlines while thickly applied strokes of warm, cool and contrasting colours construct an expressive image of sunny luminance. Van Gogh painted a number of such landscapes of trees and orchards while working at Arles in the south of France during this period. Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890) was a Dutch painter of the Post-Impressionist movement known for bold, expressive drawing, swirling brushstrokes and intense, heightened colours. In early adulthood Van Gogh worked as an art dealer, teacher and pastor before taking up the full time study of drawing and painting in his late twenties. Influenced by Rembrandt, the 19th century Realists and Barbizon school, Van Gogh’s early paintings featured studies of workers and peasants in sombre earth tones. Moving to France in 1886, Van Gogh met with the startling innovations of the Impressionist painters and began to apply their approach to colour and subject matter, which continued into the mature style for which the artist is most renowned. Van Gogh produced many hundreds of drawings and paintings including portraits, landscapes, still life and flower paintings, and numerous self-portraits that became a dominating influence on the modern art of the 20th century and made him one of the most popular artists of all time.