#philamuseum

Vincent van Gogh was born on this day in 1853. Part of the Post-Impressionist movement, he used color and energetic brush strokes to convey his emotions and state of mind. Largely unsuccessful during his lifetime, he is now considered one of the most influential figures in the history of art. Few artists have been associated with a specific subject as closely as Van Gogh has been to sunflowers. They represented for him something deeply personal, and he frequently praised them as symbols of reverie, loyalty, and joy.

“Sunflowers,” 1889, by Vincent van Gogh