Vase with Carnations and Other Flowers 1886

Curator: Looking at this still life, I immediately sense a dramatic contrast. Is it just me, or is there something almost theatrical about this? Editor: Not just you. Before us we have Van Gogh's "Vase with Carnations and Other Flowers," an oil on canvas completed in 1886 and held at the Kreeger Museum. What reads to you as "theatrical", speaks volumes about Van Gogh's changing style at that moment, but I also feel something different… it does not make me happy, really… there’s something bittersweet. Curator: Absolutely, it's not your typical cheerful floral arrangement, is it? You have this almost brooding darkness in the vase itself against this swirling, slightly chaotic background. A dark container holding fleeting beauty… quite the potent symbol of mortality. Editor: Yes, I agree. The color scheme certainly steers it away from mere decorative piece, right? Deep reds and that contrasting blue…The color feels almost Fauvist even though Van Gogh pre-dates that movement really hitting its stride. Is he grappling with something heavier here than simply capturing light and color? What I mean, as you stated well, a metaphor with mortality? Curator: Well, if we delve into the symbolic language of flowers, carnations especially can carry varied meanings depending on their color. Red can signify love, but also deep affection and even sacrifice. They were popular in mourning arrangements at the time. I sense a rumination on loss, love and beauty juxtaposed. Perhaps related to relationships that he cherished. Editor: That rings true, yes. So, on one hand, you’ve got this traditional, somewhat conventional subject matter, and then, Van Gogh infuses it with a heavy dose of emotional complexity and unease. It almost feels like he's turning the still life tradition on its head. Like the old is always there. You can transform them but its symbolism cannot disappear. Curator: Exactly. There is also that vibrant yet somber quality achieved through the color combinations of reds, greens and the contrast from blues... As if it's painted to embody his emotional and spiritual intensity at this time. He transforms those colors into cultural codes of a complex inner emotionality Editor: Ultimately, I see "Vase with Carnations" as more than just flowers in a vase; it is a poignant, somewhat melancholic reflection on the fleeting nature of beauty and the shadows that lie beneath. Curator: Yes. A wonderful example of how still life painting can convey far more than meets the eye.