The Painter of Sunflowers The Painter of Sunflowers The Painter of Sunflowers (in French: Le Peintre de Tournesols) is a portrait of Vincent van Gogh by Paul Gauguin in December 1888. The painting is exhibited at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The portrait was painted when Gauguin visited Van Gogh in Arles, France. Vincent had pleaded with Gauguin to come to Arles to start an art-colony. Gauguin eventually agreed after funding for the transportation and expenses was provided by Vincent's brother Theo Van Gogh; however Gauguin only stayed for two months as the two often quarreled and the famous incident where Van Gogh
Paintings of Children (Van Gogh series) sadness. Both museum paintings were made on large canvas, 65 x 54 cm. "La Mousmé" also known as "La Mousmé, Sitting in a Cane Chair, Half-Figure (with a branch of oleander)" was painted Van Gogh in 1888 while living in Arles, which Van Gogh dubbed "the Japan of the south". Retreating from the city, he hoped that his time in Arles would evoke in his work the simple, yet dramatic expression of Japanese art. Inspired by Pierre Loti's novel "Madame Chrysanthème" and Japanese artwork, Vincent painted "La Mousmé," a well-dressed Japanese girl. He wrote in a letter to his brother: