Mulberry Tree – Van Gogh

Mulberry Tree is a famous Vincent Van Gogh oil painting and this article discusses it’s merits and the reasons for why is has become known as one of the best remembered works by this extraordinary Dutch expressionist artist from the late 19th century. Mulberry Tree sits comfortably alongside a whole host of famous oil paintings by Van Gogh, many of which matches it’s stylish use of Van Gogh’s swirling brush strokes and thick blocks of colour and paint. Other works of a similar subject and style by Vincent included Cypresses, Wheatfield with Crows and several buildings in Arles and Saint-Remy. He also produced many brilliant portraits and self-portraits which act as a diary of his life and difficulties in his personal life.

Mulberry trees were covered in several different works by Vincent who enjoyed it’s colour and found the tree’s shape helpful to his works and he easy to locate in the regions of France in which he enjoyed painting. Vincent’s best of this series showed his expressive style and bold colour choices, which were always imaginative but equally inspired.

Van Gogh deliberately juxtaposed the two colours to ensure the subject in the foreground was clear and distinguished, giving a bright bold result in the painting. There are many paintings in his career which use the same opposed but complementary colours used in this painting, and he also produced series after series of works during his time in Saint-Remy of the landscapes and local buildings which appealed so much to him during a difficult time in his life.

Mulberry Tree, to conclude, is a great example for those looking to understand the style and techniques of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. Best for study are the clear uses of bold colour combinations and also exceptional aggressive and fluent brush strokes, a real characteristic of this famous artist.