Van Gogh’s

Sunflowers

Three Sunflowers in a Vase, August 1888

Oil on Canvas, Arles, France
 Vincent van Gogh was born
March 30th 1853 in Zundert,
Netherlands.

How old was he when he

painted this picture?

What is unusual about the

way he applied his paint?

Self Portrait, Spring 1887, Oil on pasteboard, 42x33.7 cm,

Art Institute of Chicago
Starry Night, December 31, 1888, Oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.1 cm, Museum of Modern Art, NYC

He was sad much of his life,

but his painting have brought joy to many people.

His most famous work of art is Starry Night,

but he was also fond of painting sunflowers.
 Which word would you
use to describe to
colors of this picture?

warm • bright • dull

bold • muted • pastel
soft • mellow • dingy
faded • somber

Tell why you picked

that word.
Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, August 1888
My petals are Which word would you
soft shades
of yellow and
use to describe to
green. colors of this picture?

warm • bright • dull

bold • muted • pastel
soft • mellow • dingy
faded • somber

Tell why you picked

that word.
Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, August 1888
 Which word would you
use to describe to
colors of this picture?

contrasting • deep
splashy • naturalistic
vivid • rich • festive
jazzy • colorful • loud

Tell why you picked

that word.
Three Sunflowers in a Vase, August 1888
Oil on Canvas, Arles, France
My bright yellow
petals contrast
Which word would you
with the blue use to describe to
background.
colors of this picture?

contrasting • deep
splashy • naturalistic
vivid • rich • festive
jazzy • colorful • loud

Tell why you picked

that word.
Three Sunflowers in a Vase, August 1888
Oil on Canvas, Arles, France
 Compare and contrast the two sunflower paintings
by Vincent van Gogh.
(What is the same and what is different.)

Use as many descriptive words as you can to let

others know what you think.

Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, August 1888 Three Sunflowers in a Vase, August 1888
Oil on Canvas, Arles, France
 Which word would you
use to describe to
texture of this picture?

bumpy • rough
puffy • jagged
hairy • fuzzy
coarse • uneven

Tell which part of the

picture you think has
that texture. Can you
Three Sunflowers in a Vase, August 1888 think of any other
Oil on Canvas, Arles, France
words to use?
 Which word would you
use to describe to
The inside
of my round texture of this picture?
center looks
bumpy.

bumpy • rough
puffy • jagged
hairy • fuzzy
coarse • uneven

Tell which part of the

picture you think has
that texture. Can you
Three Sunflowers in a Vase, August 1888 think of any other
Oil on Canvas, Arles, France
words to use?
 Compare and contrast the
photographs of sunflowers.

Photo by Rooney Photo by Dwight Sipler

 Compare and contrast the
photographs of sunflowers.
My petals are
orange and My petals are
yellow. yellow and
brown.

But we both
have pointed
petal shapes.
Photo by Rooney Photo by Dwight Sipler
 Compare and contrast the
photographs of sunflowers.

Photo by Tony Donnelly Photo by Digital Cat

 Compare and contrast the
photographs of sunflowers.
My center
My center is
is fuzzy and
bumpy and
green.
brown.

Photo by Tony Donnelly Photo by Digital Cat

Can you find the pattern in the
middle of this sunflower?

Sunflower Model by Vogel Photo by Dwight Sipler

 Which words would
you use to describe
to pattern in this
sunflower?

spiral • radial • dot

curved • radiating
radiates
Photo by Dwight Sipler
Can you say it in a
sentence?

The pattern in the center

of this sunflower...
 What
will your
sunflowers
look like?
Sunflower Photographs Credits and Links
(Images are links.)

Sunflower by Tony Donnelly

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_donnelly/6101744035/in/photolist-aic2Vn-fjcSSZ-6DKkyt-nLyutV-8btuGg-otq7UN-
8qcNoy-6VbrJG-mg3c4-6pxQGe-6W3T8U-fmefpp-nvUvCb-ovUjsk-arrvRR-6Hi56F-8vHY8n-ecr6ne-5dnfDa-o5SSsa-
nkUPz-frWYBh-5zeDp3-2P7pSW-oA6iLq-oNe9XX-9SAQ95-d1azaE-osyruV-6Bihpy-gPPxyu-2kfEyP-57xmtZ-gynGKP-
fmVWFH-oLEsmc-f1AGwD-fvzdBo-fmHU8V-3oxZ4-56wwt8-fy8SY7-frWWdo-oG1SNa-6T2TYf-cRTWXb-4z7LK-oLxPGT-
tnym4-oKfCn8
Sunflower by Rooney
https://www.flickr.com/photos/71737580@N00/2774100631/in/photolist-5e8Zte-g5fjSy-f1QYwj-6ZGdpy-6PMX7w-
8hwXwm-opiNgS-oczePT-NwEqe-cXwQ5J-b6kSXD-6E4ABw-qsAfJ-frX6DY-frX4cN-2hgYAt-5cC52E-5bXvB9-5q3gWL-
6MGgkX-6ThGYh-5vthPh-okvY2-56zH5y-6MLs3N-woMg3-hnCFxV-8CAF3o-8g9kLE-aiUqwn-8x2CoD-2pFRMn-XVkwf-
6T2U1q-hnB5gg-Mf7M8-5dVaTV-4m9zZb-agi9xt-frhpBH-29BVap-37tLtF-37ynsU-8cNTxc-5cdhdQ-6k4Hpn-4mXDFh-
cQc34U-8dF8Ye-6tshuR
Sunflower by Dwight Sipler
https://www.flickr.com/photos/photofarmer/6080839836/in/photolist-agkTQ9-aeb1Uu-iHsDZ-kHueS-7DYQXg-7tXHTr-
a6zmen--2pLaTb-6jSvYR-d5bD4S-d5bDs5-d5bDRj-d5bCdw-5pSFxd-8CACcG-mJ2AK-masPr-2UzUD6-otvhki-nYRHX-
H-iifGC-cwtbSs-ajWVkU-ajWVaq-ajWV41-ajU9yB-ajUfEr-ajU8SZ-ajWVuj-ajU7w8-ajUdHT-ajWZPA-2siHJi-2qoivX-
2TiuCN-d77ACA-d77Fb7-76Mcw6-8Eo1wv-auGxUW-o6yn9x-3DeyPf-d1okjb-akTs6p-3qLCt-34oith-4W2VMc-5p8hPx-
32RERo
Sunflower by Digital Cat
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14646075@N03/2856123071/in/photolist-acashB-afX5Ry-adSNDq-UtjnK-achWTa-
dcbQD7-dcd349-oBkNYG-dcbSze-dqrfHy-HWHkz-35ty1P-f3vx5E-fFHvXf-cU4QY7-5o9rai-5odGDs-akbYCb-h9L1HW-
8qSrCV-5pRyev-5monTe-7VqkRg-8qjhZG-d4LFN1-71Tcqq-5pRydZ-5msDrb-31eCbX-UuQ6Y-m3sSV-or7SzW-81Dac8-
6EGAfk-59oaNj-acqvoC-oqoADK-8kh9tc-9W9aom-5c1dhR-f3gmze-f3vyEA-2vEDjc-oHeScZ-6PPtMy-6MdDsc-9Wty1h-
2AuFuL-a3AcPF-8WwHZA
Sunflower Center by James M. Henfre
By James M. (Henfre (talk)) (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://
www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Sunflower Model by Vogel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number#mediaviewer/File:SunflowerModel.svg
Van Gogh Credits and Links
(Images are links.)

Self Portrait, Spring 1887, Oil on pasteboard, 42x33.7 cm, Art Institute of Chicago
“Vincent van Gogh - Self-Portrait - Google Art Project (454045)” by Vincent van Gogh - mwF3N6F_RfJ4_w at Google
Cultural Institute, zoom level maximum. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Self-Portrait_-_Google_Art_Project_(454045).jpg#mediaviewer/
File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Self-Portrait_-_Google_Art_Project_(454045).jpg

Netherlands Map
“EU-Netherlands” by NuclearVacuum - File:Location European nation states.svgThis vector image was created with
Inkscape.. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EU-Netherlands.svg#mediaviewer/File:EU-Netherlands.svg

Starry Night, December 31, 1888

“Van Gogh - Starry Night - Google Art Project” by Vincent van Gogh - bgEuwDxel93-Pg at Google Cultural Institute,
zoom level maximum. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_
Art_Project.jpg

Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, August 1888

“Vincent Willem van Gogh 128” by Vincent van Gogh - The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-
ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.. Licensed under Public domain via
Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_128.jpg#mediaviewer/
File:Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_128.jpg

Three Sunflowers in a Vase, August 1888, Oil on Canvas, Arles, France

“Vincent Van Gogh - Three Sunflowers F453” by Vincent van Gogh - Bailey, Martin: The Sunflowers Are Mine:
The Story of Van Gogh’s Masterpiece, Frances Lincoln Limited (2013), pp. 53 (image) 202 (provenance) , ISBN
978-0-7112-3298-3. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Vincent_Van_Gogh_-_Three_Sunflowers_F453.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Vincent_Van_Gogh_-_Three_Sunflowers_
F453.jpg
 C R E DITS
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