À propos de l’œuvre
Cueillette des olives, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · December 1889 · Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France
Olive pickingReproduction of oil painting on canvas
Three women harvest the olives among gnarled trunks. Van Gogh paints this version in front of the motif: the pink, blue and purple sky and the tight little touches retain the momentum of an outdoor session.
Look at the work
A calm harvest under an intensely worked sky
The slope of the land crosses the entire width of the canvas. The olive trees, distributed at depth, form a network of dark trunks and blue-green crowns around the group of pickers placed near the center.
The great expanse of the sky is not empty: it is covered with short touches where white, pink, blue, purple and yellow are superimposed. The ground responds to this vibration with browner and denser oblique lines.
This F654 version is the study painted on site: its more complex color and tighter touches distinguish it from the two covers performed afterwards.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
The B&E Goulandris Foundation keeps this painting in Athens. Dated December 1889, it bears the references F654/JH1868.
A composition painted in front of the pattern
The Foundation indicates that Van Gogh created three compositions of the harvest and that it was executed in situ. The silhouettes, branches and soil thus maintain a very direct spontaneity.
The sky most loaded with matter
The lower left part of the sky concentrates thick layers. Roses and purples appear between touches of blue, white and yellow, far from a simple uniform background.
Human labor melted into the olive grove
The pickers do not dominate the landscape. Their gestures and scale mingle with the rhythm of the trunks, leaves and furrows, giving the scene an almost pastoral serenity.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
Olive Picking is an oil on canvas measuring 73.5 × 92.5 cm, painted in Saint-Rémy in December 1889. It is cataloged F654/JH1868.
One of three olive harvests
Van Gogh presented this subject in three paintings. According to the Foundation, this version is the first, observed directly in the olive grove, then taken up in two more constructed variants.
By Jo van Gogh-Bonger in Athens
The documented provenance includes Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Ambroise Vollard, Alfred Wolff, Vincent Astor, Knoedler and the Metropolitan Museum of Art before the Goulandris Foundation.
Presented at the Athens Museum
The work belongs to the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation and is exhibited on the first floor of its Athens museum under visit code 102.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The copy must preserve the very nuanced pink sky, the slope of the terrain, the dark trunks, the three pickers and the difference in rhythm between the leaves, the ground and the atmosphere.
- The group of pickers gathered near the center
- The tortuous silhouettes of the olive trees in the foreground
- The pink, blue and purple touches of the sky
- The oblique furrows which give the terrain its slope
Work sheet
| Title | Olive picking |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | December 1889 |
| Place of creation | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73.5 × 92.5 cm |
| Inventory | F654 · JH1868 |
| Conservation | B&E Goulandris Foundation, Athens |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A pink, blue-green and earth-brown harmony
Horizontal format is suitable above sofa, sideboard or bed. Muffled greens, pale pinks and warm earths match oak, 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 reference image published by the B&E Goulandris Foundation was converted into a real WebP of 1,000 × 793 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.
