À propos de l’œuvre
Piété, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · September 1889 · Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France
Pietà, after Delacroix, F630Reproduction of oil painting on canvas
The Virgin dressed in blue supports the body of Christ at the entrance to a cave, under a post-storm sky. Van Gogh transposes a black and white lithograph after Delacroix into a deep range of blue, green, yellow and purple.
Look at the work
Two faces close together in one evening after the storm
The body of Christ descends in a large clear diagonal, from the shoulder leaning against Mary to the white drape in the foreground. The Virgin leans behind him and opens her hands in a gesture of pain.
The blue mantle forms the most intense mass of the composition. On the right, the brown and green cave encloses the figures; behind them, yellow bands appear under the purple clouds.
The scene retains Delacroix's composition, but the color is completely reinvented: it contrasts the blue coat, the greenish body and the yellow light of the sky.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
The Van Gogh Museum keeps this large Pietà under inventory s0168V1962. It measures 73 × 60.5 cm and carries F630/JH1775.
A composition reversed by lithography
Van Gogh worked from a print reproducing Delacroix. The image is therefore mirrored in relation to the original painting and preserves the great gestures of the Virgin and Christ.
Two heads treated like two flowers
In his letter to Willemien, Van Gogh emphasizes the dark face of Christ and the pale head of Mary, brought together to better highlight their opposition.
A color invented without a colorful model
The lithograph gave no chromatic indication. The blues, greens and yellows are an autonomous interpretation which transforms the copy into a true pictorial translation.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
The Pietà F630/JH1775 was painted in September 1889. This large version measures 73 × 60.5 cm and is in the Van Gogh Museum.
Accidentally stained lithograph
Van Gogh said that his print after Delacroix had fallen into oil and paint. In order not to lose the motif, he began to transpose it onto canvas.
The version described in Willemien
On September 19, he precisely described the Virgin in blue clothes, the exhausted body of Christ, the stormy evening and the purple clouds bordered with gold.
The large canvas intended for his room
The letters identify F630 as the 20 format version painted for itself. It must be distinguished from the small F757 intended for its sister.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must preserve the deep blue mantle, the pale green body of Christ, the two faces close together, the open hands and the yellow bands under the clouds.
- The great blue drape of the Virgin
- The descending diagonal of the body of Christ
- The opposition between the two faces
- The yellow and purple sky behind the cave
Work sheet
| Title | Pietà, after Delacroix, F630 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | September 1889 |
| Place of creation | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| 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
Deep blues lit with yellow and green
The vertical format is suitable for a space of contemplation, a library or a narrow wall. Midnight blue, gray green and muted yellow match walnut and stone 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 official image of 5,536 × 6,741 px has been reduced to a true WebP of 2,463 × 3,000 px, without cropping.
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.
