Baby Noah’s Blossoms

My dear friend is expecting a baby in June, and she’s going to have her very own painting waiting when she gets home:

Van Gogh painted a picture of a blossoming almond tree for his brother’s newborn son—named Vincent after his uncle:

He called it “perhaps the most patiently worked and the best thing I had done, painted with calm and with a greater firmness of touch”.

It’s an interesting painting: at first glance it appears sort of flat and decorative—nothing more than a pretty pattern.  But there’s some real depth to the picture that reveals itself after more looking.  You’ll see that the lower branch comes sharply towards the viewer, while the branches behind reach backwards and up.  The branches might actually be from two different trees.

I did my copy in something of a hurry, and didn’t really do this marvelous painting justice.  Still, the little guy turned out pretty good, and making a whole painting out of these colors was great fun. Van Gogh’s is 28 x 36 inches.  Mine, mounted on panel, measures 5 x 7:

A big mazel tov to my friend and his lady, who will make a fine pair of parents, and I hope baby Noah likes her painting!