Are you ready for some love and tenderness? Discover stories of love through artworks from the Van Gogh Museum's collection.
Vincent van Gogh, Garden with Courting Couples: Square Saint-Pierre, 1887
Springtime love
Ah Paris, the city of love. Vincent painted a romantic picture of a nearby park. The couples and the soft, springlike colours suggest a feeling of tender love.
The trees are in bloom and everything shimmers with loose touches of colour. Perhaps Vincent depicted himself here – in a blue smock and straw hat – next to the lady with the parasol.
Vincent van Gogh, In the café: Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin, 1887
Broken heart
What exactly happened between Vincent and the woman in this painting, Agostina Segatori, the Italian proprietress of Le Tambourin café, remains unclear.
According to a friend, Vincent was deeply in love with her, but the relationship did not last. ‘I still feel affection for her and I hope she feels the same for me.’
Maurice Denis, Attitudes are Easy and Chaste (Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes), 1899
In love
For the colour lithographs from his series Amour, Maurice Denis drew inspiration from the love poetry he wrote in his journal for his future wife Marthe.
Shortly after their first meeting, he noted:
‘Being in love makes one feel more beautiful. Postures are easy and chaste. Life becomes precious, simple; dusk has the soft glow of old paintings. But it is the heart that beats too fast, truth to tell.’
Maurice Denis, It Was a Religious Mystery (Ce fut un religieux mystère), 1899
The first kiss
The first kiss! For the devout Maurice and Marthe this was an almost religious experience that had unfolded very slowly.
In his journal he wrote:
‘… why were we serious, as if in the presence of God and as if full of the presence of God? And this is why my lips moved to her forehead and then to her lips; and it was a religious mystery, and her tears of joy and her sadness (no, her seriousness rather), for she confessed that she was truly happy.’
Maurice Denis, She was more Beautiful than Dreams (Elle était plus belle que les rêves), 1899
Longing
The rose has always been a symbol of love and purity, and it features frequently in this series of prints. Here, roses are subtly placed next to Marthe’s equally pale pink breasts. It expresses a longing – beyond the dream image – for someone of flesh and blood.
Denis wrote:
‘She is more beautiful. She is more beautiful than all the images, all the representations, all the subjective efforts!’
Vincent van Gogh, Almond Blossom, 1890
Fraternal love
The almond blossom in this painting is a symbol of new life. It was a gift from Vincent to his brother Theo and his wife Jo, who had just had a son, Vincent Willem.
In his letter conveying the happy news, Theo wrote:
‘As we told you, we are naming him after you and I wish he will be as persistent and courageous as you.’
The love between the brothers ran deep and strong.
Odilon Redon, Vision. Vase of Flowers, 1900
Friendship
This is not simply a bouquet of flowers. Just look at the sparkling red poppies and white daisies. They convey beauty and wonder.
The painter Odilon Redon and the buyer of this picture, Andries Bonger, were good friends. Soul mates even. For Bonger their friendship was a necessary antidote to his daily life as an insurance banker.
He wrote:
‘I owe some very intense feelings to you and will always be grateful for the joys your art constantly affords me.’
