Saint-Rémy October 1889 · oil on canvas
Van Gogh's Mulberry Tree: an autumn tree painted like a flame
A yellow-orange crown explodes in front of a dense blue sky. The trunk twists, the ground undulates and each touch seems to prolong the inner energy of the tree.
The essential idea: Van Gogh does not paint a real fire. It transforms the autumn foliage into flame thanks to the complementary colors, the silhouette and a material so thick that it approaches the bas-relief.
Quick response
Why does this tree seem to be burning?
Because Van Gogh concentrates almost all the light in the foliage. Chromium yellows, oranges and reds stand out from the blue of the sky: this complementary contrast makes the crown more intense than an isolated color.
The sensation also comes from the shape. The branches branch like tongues of fire; the contours remain irregular; the thick keys go in several directions. However, the trunk firmly anchors the whole in the stony ground. The image therefore combines expansion and stability.
Van Gogh was particularly keen on this painting. On December 7, 1889, when he described to Theo a set of autumn studies, he considered "the yellow mulberry tree against a very blue sky" to be the best.
The context
Saint-Rémy after a period without painting outside
Van Gogh voluntarily entered the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole hospice in May 1889. He first worked from his room and in the enclosed garden, then gradually returned to the nearby countryside when he had permission.
The Mulberry Tree belongs to a work spurt at the beginning of October. The painter then observes the effects of autumn: yellowing foliage, light quarries, poplars, pines and olive trees. He is not looking for exact botany; he uses the tree as a structure capable of carrying color.
Visual analysis
Five zones make the tree a stable blaze
The picture is compact: no vast horizon, no character, no story. All energy flows between the crown, the sky, the trunk, the terrain and the hill.
The crown
It occupies almost the entire upper half. Its serrated edge prevents the yellow mass from becoming a simple oval.
Branches
They radiate from the trunk in a fan shape. Their movement is reminiscent of sheaves or flames separating.
The trunk
Brown, gnarled and compact, it retains the growth of the foliage. Its inclination avoids too calm symmetry.
The sky
The oblique blue lines are not an empty background: they respond to the rhythm of the leaves and intensify the yellows.
The ground
Broken whites, blues, ochres and greens build dry ground that reflects light without competing with the tree.
The surface
A painting that almost becomes a sculpture
The Norton Simon Museum describes a surface close to the bas-relief. In the leaves, Van Gogh accumulates a thick layer of yellow and shapes the material through the handle of the brush.
The painting doesn't just show a yellow tree: it makes you feel the sap surge, the wind and the dry glow of an autumn day.
In the letters
Van Gogh returns to the Mulberry Tree three times
"...an entirely yellow mulberry tree that stands out against the blue of the sky."
The formula, reported by the Norton Simon Museum, summarizes the chromatic framework: a single warm mass opposed to blue.
"...I think the best is the yellow mulberry tree against a very blue sky."
Van Gogh himself ranks this painting at the top of his autumn studies sent to Theo.
"...his bushy foliage was a magnificent yellow against a very blue sky..."
To Willemien, he adds the "white, stony, sunny terrain behind": three colored areas are enough to reconstruct the work.
Not to overinterpret: comparing the crown to a flame describes a visual effect. Van Gogh does not present the mulberry tree as a coded symbol of suffering or fire in known letters.
The Autumn Cycle
The Mulberry Tree in the middle of a study forest
In October and November 1889, Van Gogh treated trees as different personalities. The six works below show how it changes rhythm depending on the species, terrain and light.
Verticality
Poplars in Saint-Rémy
The trunks rise in straight bands; repetition replaces the solitary explosion of the Mulberry Tree.
See the work →
Interweaving
Trees in the asylum garden
Branches, trunks and undergrowth form a tight network where the space becomes almost textile.
See the work →
Leaves on the ground
The Fall of the Leaves
Here autumn disperses on the way; energy descends from the crown to the ground.
See the work →
Human scale
The Cantonniers
Gigantic plane trees dominate small figures: plants become urban architecture.
See the work →
Ripple
Olives with yellow skies
The foliage no longer blazes: it rolls like waves under a compact sun.
See the work →
Another autumn
The Red Vine
Painted in Arles in 1888, it allows us to compare two autumns: red surface at sunset, yellow tree in broad daylight.
See the work →Watch without reducing
Observed nature, memorized Monticelli, invented form
After workshop
A painting recognized early by Pissarro
Camille Pissarro sees the painting in Théo van Gogh's Parisian gallery and exchanges one of his own works for this luminous Mulberry Tree. This provenance shows that at least one great contemporary painter immediately perceives its quality.
1889 -1890 · Théo and Camille Pissarro
The painting arrives in Paris. Pissarro acquires it by exchange and keeps it.
European collections
After the Pissarro family, the work notably passes through Ambroise Vollard, Alphonse Kann then private dealers and collectors.
1961 · Norton Simon
Norton Simon buys the painting; she then enters the foundation that bears her name.
Today · Pasadena
The Mulberry Tree belongs to the Norton Simon Art Foundation and is among the museum's iconic works.
To see at the museum
Norton Simon Museum
411 West Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California. The notice currently indicates the work on display, but it is still preferable to check the presentation before traveling.
Compose a Van Gogh set
Four landscapes of Saint-Rémy
To accompany the Mulberry Tree without repeating its palette, choose works that take up its plant movement in different formats and seasons.
Frequently asked questions
Van Gogh's Mulberry Tree
When did Van Gogh paint The Mulberry Tree?
He painted the work in October 1889, during his voluntary stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole hospice in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Where's the painting today?
The Mulberry Tree owned by the Norton Simon Art Foundation and held at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California.
What are its dimensions?
Oil on canvas measures 54 × 65 cm, or 21 1/4 × 25 1/2 inches. Its horizontal format allows the crown to extend laterally.
Why are we talking about a burning tree?
The yellows, oranges and reds of the foliage, its irregular outline and the radiant touches evoke a blaze. This is a visual comparison, not a fire depicted.
Did Van Gogh like this painting?
Yes. In his letter to Théo of December 7, 1889, he considered that the yellow mulberry tree against the very blue sky was the best autumn study of the group sent.
What technique does Van Gogh use?
It uses oil on canvas, directional touches and, especially in the crown, a thick impasto. The surface retains marked reliefs that react to light.
Is the painting expressionist?
Van Gogh precedes historical expressionist groups. We can speak of an expressive power of color and line, but it is more accurate to situate the work in its late post-impressionist style.
Did Camille Pissarro own Le Mûrier?
Yes. According to the provenance published by the Norton Simon Museum, Pissarro acquired the painting after seeing it in Theo's gallery, exchanging one of his own works.
Sources and benchmarks
- Norton Simon Museum - The Mulberry Tree, instructions, provenance and audio guide.
- Vincent van Gogh, letter 824 to Théo, December 7, 1889.
- Vincent van Gogh, letter 827 to Willemien, December 9 -10, 1889.
- Vincent van Gogh, letter 810 to Théo, around October 8, 1889.
- Norton Simon Museum - Van Gogh in the collection.
French translations of the letters are faithfully reformulated from the online scientific edition. The catalog identifies the work as F 637 /JH 1796.
0 comments