À propos de l’œuvre
La Méridienne (La sieste, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · December 1889 - January 1890 · Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France
La Méridienne or La SiesteReproduction of oil painting on canvas
In the shade of a large millstone, a peasant couple sleeps during the midday heat. Van Gogh translates a drawing by Jean-François Millet into a dazzling harmony of orange-yellow and purple-blue.
Look at the work
Lunchtime rest in the wheat
The man and woman lie next to each other on the straw. Their hooves, sickles and some work objects are placed in the foreground. A cart and oxen appear in the distance, behind the large millstone.
The figures dressed in blue stand out against an almost entirely yellow universe: soil, cut wheat and millstones. The sky, a vibrant light blue, responds to the clothes and organizes the complementary contrast that makes the scene shine.
Van Gogh retains all of Millet's rural details, but the color transforms the daily stop into an experience of light.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
The Méridienne of the Musée d'Orsay bears the inventory RF 1952 17 and the references F686/JH1881. She transposes an engraved wood by Jacques-Adrien Lavieille after Millet.
Yellow versus blue violet
The canvas is based on two complementary families. Warm yellows envelop the ground and millstones; cold blues unite the sky and the clothes of the two sleepers.
A diagonal of rest
The elongated bodies form a large diagonal at the foot of the millstone. This calm direction opposes the verticality of the pile of straw and gives the scene its balance.
A copy that became a translation
Van Gogh starts from a black and white image. He retains the composition, but invents the colors and the material, comparing this work to the interpretation of a score by a musician.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
La Méridienne is an oil on canvas measuring 73 × 91 cm, painted in Saint-Rémy between December 1889 and January 1890. It bears the inventory RF 1952 17 and the references F686/JH1881.
The Four Hours of the Day
The source dates back to a drawing by Millet dedicated to midday rest, distributed through an engraved wood by Jacques-Adrien Lavieille. Van Gogh worked from this reproduction.
Twenty-one interpretations of Millet
In Saint-Rémy, deprived of models, the artist painted twenty-one compositions after Millet. There he finds the peasant gestures that he admired since his beginnings.
RF 1952 17
The work entered the national collections through the donation of Mrs. Fernand Halphen in 1952, subject to usufruct, then was assigned to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must preserve the blue-yellow contrast, the softness of the sleeping figures, the texture of the grinding wheels and the small tools placed in the foreground.
- The two peasants lying at the foot of the millstone
- Blue purple clothes on yellow straw
- The cart and the oxen in the background
- Hooves and sickles in the foreground
Work sheet
| Title | La Méridienne or La Sieste |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | December 1889 - January 1890 |
| Place of creation | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73 × 91 cm |
| Inventory | RF 1952 17 · F686 · JH1881 |
| Conservation | Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A sunny, peaceful and immediately familiar scene
Golden yellows warm a dining room, living room or bedroom, while blues maintain balance. The canvas matches honey wood, linen and cream walls.
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 color photograph of 2331 × 1824 px has been converted into a real WebP 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.
