Van Gogh's Sunflowers

The inspiration behind the world famous artwork

With striking yellow petals and a large seed head, sunflowers can easily become the focal point of a room. It's no surprise then, that these vivid blooms have captured the attention of artists over the years with one particular artist being heavily associated with the flower.

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers 1888 NG3863
Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh. 1888.

Van Gogh

The most likely name to think of when these summery blooms are mentioned, Vincent Van Gogh painted four sunflower images in 1888 and created seven pieces of art featuring the flowers in total. For him, the yellow sunflower signified happiness and he tried to capture this in his work.

Flowers as art inspiration

Van Gogh is not the only artist to have featured sunflowers in his paintings, his contemporary Paul Gauguin created 'The Painter of Sunflowers' which is a portrait of van Gogh painting the yellow flowers.

Where to see the Sunflowers

Head to the National Gallery in London to see one of van Gogh's creations inspired by the flower, which he originally painted to decorate a room for Gauguin in 1888.

Have you been inspired by flowers in your home to create your own artwork? We'd love to see your creations!