À propos de l’œuvre
Nature morte aux ballonnements, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · Summer 1886 · Paris
Still life with saur herring, F283Reproduction of oil painting on canvas
Three smoked herrings are placed directly on a dark surface. Their golden brown, almost dried bodies are crossed by white and orange touches which make the edges, the skins wrinkled and the reflections oily with unusual frankness.
Look at the work
Three tight fish fill an almost panoramic format
The fish overlap without plates or linen. One goes up to the upper edge, another crosses the center and the third closes the foreground; their heads, tails and bellies form a network of obliques.
The blue-black background absorbs the darkest contours. Conversely, scales and flesh are indicated by short strokes of off-white, ocher and pink, as if light were scratching the surface.
Still life with saur herring F283/JH1120 is a 21 × 42 cm oil on canvas painted in Paris during the summer of 1886. The work belongs to the Staechelin Foundation and is kept at the Kunstmuseum Basel.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
The automated title "bloating" came from a mistranslation of the English word bloaters. The exact subject is that of saur herrings, that is to say salted and smoked; this precision completely changes the reading of the material.
The low format matches the length of the fish
The canvas is twice as wide as it is high. Van Gogh avoids unnecessary space and places bodies diagonally in succession so that still life remains mobile.
The material is described by discontinuous lines
The highlights do not follow a smooth pattern. White, yellow, pink and orange are laid in small bars that suggest skin, ridges, folds and salty areas.
Blue-black makes ochres vibrate
Cold shadows around fish contain blue and purple. They reinforce golden brown hues without resorting to detailed decoration.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
F283/JH1120, the very elongated format of 21 × 42 cm and the conservation in Basel distinguish this still life from F203, another smoked herring painting kept at the Kroeller-Müller Museum.
Bloaters are smoked herring
The English word does not designate swelling or abstract objects. It corresponds to a method of preparing fish, visible in browned and dry skin.
Van Gogh transforms simple foods into color studies
In 1886, still lifes allowed him to quickly try contrasts that were clearer and bolder than those of his Dutch period.
F283 is not the F203 vertical canvas
F203 measures approximately 45 × 38 cm and is located in Otterlo. F283 is a 42 cm wide horizontal composition linked to the Staechelin Foundation.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must preserve the three superimposed bodies, the legible heads and tails, the white scale lines, the golden ochres, the blue-black shadows and the absence of decoration.
- The central fish that crosses the entire width
- Very short white highlights on the bellies
- The dark head placed in the lower left corner
- The tail raised towards the upper edge
- The blue-purple passages between the fish
Work sheet
| Title | Still life with saur herring, F283 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | Summer 1886 |
| Place of creation | Paris |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 21 × 42 cm |
| Inventory | F283 · JH1120 |
| Conservation | Kunstmuseum Basel, Staechelin Foundation |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A raw still life of golden brown on black blue
Bluish black, smoky brown, ocher, cream and earth pink give an intense image for a kitchen, dining room or interior with dark woods.
Frequently asked questions
Before ordering
Is this a canvas print?
No. Each reproduction is manually painted in oil on canvas. Brushstrokes and material variations belong to the final result.
How is the visual reference chosen?
The public domain reference has been converted into a true WebP of 3,000 × 1,474 px, without artificial enlargement.
Can I check the result before shipping?
Yes. Photographs of the finished painting are sent to you; you can request alterations before validating the shipment.
Are custom formats possible?
Yes. The format can be adapted to your wall while maintaining the proportions and balance of the original composition.
