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Van Gogh’s 20 Most Famous Paintings (A Beginner’s Guide) + 2 Bonus Paintings that I Love
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items These are Van Gogh’s 20 most famous paintings — the ones you’ve seen in books, on posters, and in museums around the world. If you’re new to Van Gogh or just want a quick, curated guide to his most iconic work, this beginner-friendly list will walk y...
The most iconic Van Gogh painting. There have been songs written about this one, spoofs, parodies, re-imaginings, and it has been the source of wonder and inspiration for countless people around the world. It's difficult to tell exactly what draws me to this painting because I don't normally like things that are so popular – usually things are famous for being famous and not because they're good. I think Van Gogh tapped into something universal in this painting and you don't have to know why he made this painting to get something out of it.
The Starry Night - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
I love this piece. It's controlled chaos and no one does yellow like Van Gogh! These are synthetic yellow pigments that had only been made available to artists during the early part of the 1800s. Van Gogh loved these newer bright synthetic paint colors.
True story: These sunflowers were painted to decorate a guestroom he decorated for Gauguin's visit. He *really* wanted Gauguin to like him and feel at home. So he filled the room with sunflower paintings and other artwork and bright colors — hoping to make it feel cheerful, warm, full of life. But Gauguin walked in and saw chaos. Too much yellow. Too much energy. Too much Van Gogh. We’ve all been there —...
True story: These sunflowers were painted to decorate a guestroom he decorated for Gauguin's visit. He *really* wanted Gauguin to like him and feel at home. So he filled the room with sunflower paintings and other artwork and bright colors — hoping to make it feel cheerful, warm, full of life. But Gauguin walked in and saw chaos. Too much yellow. Too much energy. Too much Van Gogh. We’ve all been there —...
Sunflowers - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
Van Gogh’s version of calm. The floor tilts, the furniture leans, the colors hum quietly. He painted this room in Arles — his real room — but stripped out the detail and flattened the space to make it feel safe and still. A place to rest. You can fee...
The Bedroom - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
This one glows. You can almost feel the warmth of the gaslights and hear the murmur of late-night conversations. It’s painted in Arles, just outside his favorite café. People often confuse this with The Night Café (which is tense and weird). But this...
Zoom Into Van Gogh's 'Terrace of a café at night' - Google Arts & Culture
This was painted right after the infamous ear incident. He looks straight at you, calm but not okay. It’s one of those portraits where the silence says more than anything. He’s putting himself back together, one brushstroke at a time. You can feel th...
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
wheatfield with crows. spectacular in person. I saw this piece in person at LACMA in 1999 when the Van Gogh's art was on tour. I'll never forget it. I saw this painting above a sea of people in a chaotic crowd. The crowd was vibrating with the same energy as this painting so if you've ever been in a big crowd at a sport event or concert and you're being moved along by the crowd – that's what this painting felt like.
In the textbooks it says this piece has a slightly “ominous” feel. Yes! I think to me it definitely felt ominous because it seemed like it was moving.
In the textbooks it says this piece has a slightly “ominous” feel. Yes! I think to me it definitely felt ominous because it seemed like it was moving.
Wheatfield with crows - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
A disturbing red-and-green café interior with a looming pool table. Van Gogh called it a place where one could 'go mad or commit a crime.'
The Night Café
A delicate, light-filled painting symbolizing renewal and hope. Van Gogh painted it to celebrate the birth of his nephew.
Almond Blossom - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
barely recognizable from Van Gogh's later works but look closely and you will see his style.
One of his earliest masterpieces, this painting of a peasant family eating dinner is raw, dark, and full of social commentary.
One of his earliest masterpieces, this painting of a peasant family eating dinner is raw, dark, and full of social commentary.
The potato eaters - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
A somber portrait of Van Gogh’s doctor after his final breakdown. Soft blues and melancholy brushwork reflect his declining health.
Dr Paul Gachet - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
look at that sky texture!
Dramatic trees under swirling skies — Van Gogh poured movement and emotion into this classic landscape format.
Dramatic trees under swirling skies — Van Gogh poured movement and emotion into this classic landscape format.
Cypresses - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
another sunflower painting. Painted with a teal background line and signed 'Vincent,' (on the vase) this version of Sunflowers is held by the National Gallery in London. Cooler tone of yellow but just as iconic.
Vincent van Gogh | Sunflowers | NG3863 | National Gallery, London
A church in Auvers, depicted with a warped perspective and emotionally charged brushwork after Van Gogh left the asylum.
The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise, View from the Chevet - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
A calm coastal scene with boats pulled up on the shore. Van Gogh painted this in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer during a rare moment of peace mentally. I notice in this one that the sky still has the swirling brushstrokes but is much more smooth
Saintes-Maries (Van Gogh series)
This is believed to be the only painting Van Gogh sold in his lifetime! I wonder what it was like to have a new painting by him hanging in my living room
The Red Vineyard
Blazing yellows and swirling strokes — one of Van Gogh’s explorations of sunlight and landscape as pure color energy.
File:Vincent van Gogh - Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun.jpg
I love these colors--that green and the bright clear red is different. I love the wallpaper. This is so different. A portrait of a woman holding a cradle’s string, part of a series symbolizing maternal strength and quiet perseverance.
La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle; Augustine-Alix Pellicot Roulin, 1851–1930) - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
Inspired by a painting by Millet, this midday rest scene shows two farm workers napping in a field. Gentle and meditative.
The vast expanse of hay. These 2 workers taking a nap. Their bodies really feel like they're pressing into the pile. It's cool shade of yellow feel like we're in the cool shade
The vast expanse of hay. These 2 workers taking a nap. Their bodies really feel like they're pressing into the pile. It's cool shade of yellow feel like we're in the cool shade
The siesta (after Millet) - Vincent van Gogh - Google Arts & Culture
Bright irises in the foreground lead the eye to a quiet town — a rare structured composition from Van Gogh’s late period.
File:VanGogh-View of Arles with Irises.jpg
One of the lesser-known sunflower paintings, this version has 12 flowers and a more simplified arrangement, but still glows with layered yellows.
Vincent van Gogh: The Paintings (Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers)
Painted while Van Gogh was in the asylum at Saint-Rémy, this piece feels like him trying to hold onto something beautiful and grounded. Each flower feels alive — some reaching, some curling in on themselves. It’s calm on the surface, but there’s a qu...
Irises (painting)
This painting does not sit still. The trees twist, the hills roll, the clouds practically do somersaults. Van Gogh painted this from life at the asylum, but it’s not calm or contemplative — it’s alive and restless. It feels like he was trying to pain...
Olive Trees (Van Gogh series)