Roses

A cluster of white roses sits in a green vase, resting on a pale surface that fades into a green backdrop. The flowers and leaves are built up with loose, visible strokes of paint that give the whole arrangement a sense of movement. This oil painting, titled Roses, was made in 1890 by Vincent van Gogh and is held today at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The piece entered the museum's collection through the Annenberg gift and bequest. Van Gogh painted within the Post-Impressionist movement, bringing intense color and energetic brushwork to simple subjects like this bouquet. Looking closely, the petals seem almost sculpted by the thick, textured application of white and pale green paint, giving the still life a tactile, almost dimensional quality against the flat green ground behind it.