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The exhibition “Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers” enters its final two weeks

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The exhibition “Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers” enters its final two weeks

Until 19 January 2025, the National Gallery of London is holding the exhibition “Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers”

Source: National Gallery, London · Image: Vincent van Gogh, ‘Starry Night’ (1888, Musée d’Orsay, Paris).

‘Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers’ explores how the poetic imagination and ideas associated with love evolved into central themes for the artist. In Arles, for example, Van Gogh designated the public park in front of the Yellow House (in which, in 1888, Van Gogh rented four rooms) as a Poets’ Garden, envisioning Italian Renaissance poets Petrarch and Boccaccio strolling there. Some of Van Gogh’s most glorious paintings and drawings of the time are associated with this idea, and pairs of lovers appear in paintings such as ‘Starry Night’ (1888, Musée d’Orsay, Paris).

In May and June of 1889, after Van Gogh was admitted to the Saint-Paul de Mausole hospital in Saint-Rémy, he imagined the asylum’s overgrown garden as a secluded site for lovers. He painted spectacular compositions depicting views of the grounds. The exhibition shows how this idealising, euphoric exploration of the asylum garden contrasts dramatically with works from the autumn when Van Gogh instead associated the very same location with his and his fellow patients’ sufferings.

In Arles, in late summer of 1888, Van Gogh planned to decorate his Yellow House with ‘The Poet’s Garden’, the ‘Sunflowers’, ‘The Poet’ and ‘The Lover’. These paintings were instrumental in his conception of a decorative scheme that quickly grew beyond the  walls of the Yellow House.

‘Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers’ shows how the artist sought to create important compositions for exhibition in Paris, initially in 1889, year of the Exposition Universelle, when he hoped to display them as a cohesive group alongside works by fellow avant-garde artists.

The exhibition explores how Van Gogh’s choices for these works reflect his thinking about painting in series, his repeated references in letters to pendants, his use of opposites or contrasts to create harmony and cohesion. The artist continued to pursue these ideas later in Saint-Rémy, as his works became increasingly known in avant-garde circles.

Stories

Surreal Nudes: Paul Delvaux’s Masterpiece L’Orage Sells for $1.6 Million

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Female Nudes by Paul Delvaux
L’Orage by Paul Delvaux © Bonhams

BY MARK ANDERSON

Paul Delvaux’s enigmatic nude masterpiece L’Orage (The Storm), painted in August 1962, recently captivated the art world at Bonhams auction in London, achieving $1.6 million (£1,318,900). A hallmark of Delvaux’s surrealist vision, the painting was the top lot of Bonhams’ 20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale, part of their successful 20th/21st Century Art Week, which totaled $11 million in sales.

The Allure of L’Orage

L’Orage reflects Delvaux’s fascination with mystery, human vulnerability, and the subconscious. The painting features a solitary nude woman on the right, holding a red fabric cover as she delicately smells a small red flower. In the background, two nude women embrace under a white blanket, separated from the foreground by a barbed-wire fence. A cottage-like house hosts yet another topless woman, and the entire tableau is set against the backdrop of an ominous thunderstorm, with dark clouds casting a surreal and dramatic effect over the scene.

L’Orage by Paul Delvaux © Bonhams
L’Orage by Paul Delvaux © Bonhams

The painting encapsulates Delvaux’s signature tension between tranquility and unease, highlighting his mastery of juxtaposition: serene figures amidst dramatic, otherworldly settings.

Why Delvaux Focused on Nudes

Delvaux’s focus on nudes was deeply rooted in his artistic and personal history. Initially trained in architecture, he found inspiration in the classical world and the idealized human form. However, his use of nudes diverged from traditional portrayals, creating figures that appear detached, introspective, and often enigmatic.

Psychologically, Delvaux’s obsession with nudes has been linked to early experiences. In interviews, he described his childhood fascination with anatomy and the human body, stemming partly from strict maternal influences that created a sense of repression. His artistic exploration of nudes was an act of liberation, transforming them into timeless, almost mythical beings in surreal landscapes.

Delvaux was also profoundly influenced by 19th-century academic painting, as well as Symbolist poets and artists who sought to evoke inner emotions rather than replicate reality. Female figures became central to his work, embodying mystery, beauty, and the intangible nature of dreams.

Delvaux’s Legacy

Paul Delvaux (1897–1994) remains a pivotal figure in 20th-century art, celebrated for his ability to blend classical technique with surrealist imagination. His fascination with timeless themes—desire, mortality, and the passage of time—finds full expression in L’Orage.

Paul Delvaux's Signature
L’Orage by Paul Delvaux © Bonhams

By combining the human form with dreamlike settings, Delvaux invites viewers into a meditative, otherworldly realm. The sale of L’Orage reaffirms his enduring appeal among collectors and solidifies his place as one of the most intriguing voices in surrealism.

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Modigliani’s Female Nudes and Their Record-Breaking Prices

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