Vase with Sunflowers, Arles 1889 - Vincent Van Gogh

Gauguin considered that Van Gogh's sunflower paintings, of which there are several, were highly successful and should become his trade mark. Van Gogh wanted the Yellow House at Aries to be decorated in 'a symphony of blue and yellow' to greet Gauguin when he came to live with him. He intended that the sunflower paintings should all be in Gauguin's room to greet him, framed in red painted wood. Van Gogh said of this period, 'I am painting with the enthusiasm of a resident of Marseilles eating bouillabaisse [a Provencal fish dish] which shall not surprise you, when it involves painting large sunflowers.'