À propos de l’œuvre
Pietà, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · September 1889 · Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Pietà after Delacroix, F630Reproduction of oil painting on canvas
The Virgin supports the dead Christ at the foot of a rock; based on a lithograph reproducing Delacroix, Van Gogh reinvents the scene in blue, yellow and green with a swirling touch.
Look at the work
An image of pain translated into Van Gogh's color
The body of Christ descends diagonally from Mary's shoulder to the lower edge. His head rests against her, while one arm falls almost vertically. The Virgin's blue mantle envelops the left part; the rocks and the sky close the scene on the right.
Van Gogh does not copy Delacroix's tones. He contrasts the deep blues of the mantle with the pale yellows of the flesh and the gray greens of the landscape. The curved lines of the sky, folds and rock give the scene a continuous movement.
Van Gogh works from a lithograph by Célestin Nanteuil and Léon Lebeuf reproducing Delacroix's Pietà. The sheet having been stained with oil and paint, he used it as a starting point for two colored versions.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
F630/JH1775 is the large version kept at the Van Gogh Museum; it differs from the small study F757/JH1776 today at the Vatican Museums.
A diagonal of the body
Christ's torso and legs form a large clear slope which crosses the canvas and organizes the relationship between the two figures.
Blue as an expression
Mary's mantle occupies a significant mass and transforms pain into visual presence, rather than simple narrative detail.
Copy to interpret
Van Gogh retains the characters and general movement of Delacroix, but replaces the tone of the reproduction with his own language of complementary colors.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
The correspondence of September 1889 confirms that Van Gogh made two Pietàs based on lithography and that he considered F630 as the version intended for himself.
Delacroix by print
Van Gogh does not work in front of the original painting: his intermediary is a black and white lithograph made after Delacroix.
F630 and F757
The large canvas of the Van Gogh Museum measures 73 × 60.5 cm; the small version is kept in the modern art collection of the Vatican Museums.
An image of compassion
The subject of Mary mourning her son allows Van Gogh to explore suffering and consolation without returning to an academic religious composition.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must preserve the great diagonal of Christ, the blue volume of the mantle and the curved touches which unite the sky, the figures and the rock.
- The leaning face of the Virgin
- The diagonal of the body of Christ
- The left arm falling towards the ground
- The deep blue folds of the coat
- The yellow and blue sky covered with curves
Work sheet
| Title | Pietà after Delacroix, F630 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | September 1889 |
| Place of creation | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas from a lithograph |
| Dimensions | 73 × 60.5 cm |
| Inventory | Van Gogh Museum s0168V1962 · F630 · JH1775 |
| Conservation | Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A spiritual scene with deep blues
The vertical format is suitable for a meditation space, a library or a living room. Cobalt blue, ivory, gray green and yellow match walnut, stone and sober 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 Van Gogh Museum image measures 5,536 × 6,741 px; it was reduced to 2,464 × 3,000 px then converted into a real WebP.
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.
