Wheatfield with Crows

Vincent Van Gogh (1890), oil on canvas

Wheatfield with Crows is a powerful and intense painting which has been popularly interpreted as Van Gogh's "suicide note" put on canvas. However, contrary to popular myth, this painting is not Van Gogh's final artistic work; but it does convey a memorable signature for his subsequent death. The painting is undoubtedly turbulent, emitting a sense of loneliness in the fields and representing van Gogh’s defeat and isolation in his final years. The symbolic elements are also bold and synergistic—particularly the ominous, dark clouds, the frantic departure of crows, and the multidirectional pathways. I certainly love the mystery behind the image, as well as the tale that follows it.