Still Life - Vase with Fourteen Sunflowers 1889

Vincent van Gogh rendered this striking still life of sunflowers in a vase using oil on canvas. The sunflower, bold and radiant, has long been associated with the sun itself—a symbol of life, energy, and warmth. The flower is reminiscent of ancient solar deities. The sunflower’s inclination to follow the sun, its heliotropism, echoes a deep, almost primal connection. We find similar reverence for the sun in ancient Egyptian art, where the sun disc, Ra, was central to their religious beliefs. Yet, here, in Van Gogh's hands, the sunflowers take on a new emotional intensity. His sunflowers carry the weight of human emotion. In their vibrant yet fading forms, they speak of fleeting beauty, of the transient nature of life itself. This mirrors the psychological exploration of the self, a theme echoed through centuries of art, reflecting our collective consciousness and the search for meaning. They become a mirror reflecting his turbulent inner world.