Vincent Van Gogh painted “The Red Vineyard” in November 1888. It is supposed to be the only painting he sold during his lifetime. It was sold to Anna Boch, impressionist painter and art collector, at the annual exhibition of the group of artists called “Les XX”. The group was made up of 20 Belgian artists who are now considered to be some of the world’s greatest artists in history. Included in the group, in addition to Vincent Van Gogh, were the likes of Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Paul Gauguin, and Paul Cezanne.
The painting sold for about 400 francs in 1890, which is equivalent to about $1,000 today. The painting is now stored in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. Although the painting has never been put up for sale and it would be difficult to estimate its value, Van Gogh’s paintings have sold for between $60 million and $140 million.
Interpretation of the Red Vine
Van Gogh lived in Arles, France in 1888 with Paul Gauguin. He had written a letter to his brother Theo, who was an art dealer in Paris, telling her that he was working on a picture of a vineyard that he had painted from memory after an evening walk.
a red vine, all red like red wine. In the distance it turned yellow and then a green sky with the sun, the earth violet after the rain, sparkling here and there where it caught the reflection of the setting sun.
The low evening sun to the west and the shadow of the man standing on the road suggest that the vineyard faces north. The gleaming road and the bright yellow reflection of the sun on the road suggest that the road is very wet and there may have been heavy rain recently. Muddy areas in the foreground also hint at wet conditions.
All the women in the foreground picking grapes are stooped from the hips, suggesting an air of hard work and perhaps required of them by the figure watching over them on the road. Bending from the hip would have been extremely difficult on the lower back and the women would have been exhausted after a day of harvesting.
While the yellow, orange, and reds in the painting captured a beautiful and vibrant natural setting, it also contrasts with the painting of the women. This is consistent with most of Van Gogh’s paintings in that there was always a sense of melancholy, whether subtle or obvious.
