Cypress

"Cypresses"
Vincent van Gogh, 1889

My local newspaper recently ran an article in the Garden section about the cypress tree. I was delighted to see that the article focused on Vincent van Gogh's depictions of the beautiful cypress trees in the south of France. The article noted that the cypress species that van Gogh painted were most likely a fatter, more irregular type than the pencil-thin cypress that we see today. Hmmm.That helps explain

why his trees seem so lively and twisty, and not just thin little columns.

"Wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889"
Vincent van Gogh, 1889

These cypresses of France can sometimes live over 1000 years! They probably came from an old strain of forest trees from Persia. Over time, the narrower trees were selected to be propagated. Thus, the trees we see today are much thinner and straighter than those seen by van Gogh. 

"Cypresses at Sunset"
9 x 14, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2014
Available at Alexander Scott Interiors, Charlotte

But the plot thickens: Derek Fell has written a book entitled "Van Gogh's Gardens". He proposes that the trees van Gogh so famously painted were not cypress trees at all, but  junipers instead!  He notes that the Juniperus cummunis has the dark color and wider pyramidal form that we see in so many of van Gogh's paintings. Well. Next time I am in Provence, I will have to visit a garden center, or consult a forestry guide. 

"Beyond the Vineyards"
24 x 30, oil on canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2013
Available at my Studio

I had a hunch that the trees in some of my paintings shown here might be junipers, because of the fruits they seemed to bear. I have written about these trees before. Stay tuned as the mystery is  unraveled. Meanwhile, here is a final image from van Gogh to enjoy:

"Cypresses with Two Female Figures"
Vincent van Gogh, 1889