Appearances can be deceiving 📐 At first glance, nothing seems remarkable here. But research revealed that Vincent's vase was actually a small liqueur jug, only 22cm high. The flowers would never have fitted in its narrow opening, yet Vincent's imagination made it work! 🔧

‘I hope the day will come when I’ll be able to show you this beautiful part of the world’. ✍️ to his sister Willemien (1888). Vincent took us to many places in his works. Based on his paintings, which destination do you find most beautiful?
🖼️ © The Courtauld

Inspired by music 🎵 Matthew Wong's eclectic taste spans hip-hop to jazz. He sometimes names works after songs or poems, like this work 'Unknown Pleasures', named after Joy Division's album. Get to know Wong by subscribing to our newsletter special: vangoghmuseum.nl/en/sign-up-won…

A personal touch 👆 The jar standing next to the glass contains more than just water. 💦 It has something very personal: Vincent’s fingerprint! (2+3).

Painting against the wind! 💨👨‍🎨 Vincent used iron pegs to secure his easel during windy days in Arles (France). He wanted nothing to stand in the way of painting, ‘it’s too beautiful’ he wrote to his brother Theo.
📜 © The Morgan Library & Museum Thaw Collection

Did you notice? 🔎 Vincent painted the sides of the houses facing the sun in warm and light tints, and the shadow sides in blue.
‘View of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer’, 1888. © Kröller-Müller Museum

Vincent's story touches many. Together with DHL Express, we launched the Heart for Art programme, reaching kids with limited access to art education. Recognising art's impact, we discuss themes like identity and resilience with children. Learn more here: ow.ly/mf9C50RsoaH

A grasshopper, invisible to the naked eye, was found entombed in Vincent's paint. 🔍 The wind likely blew the grasshopper onto his canvas.🦗 Despite the wind and the insects buzzing in the summer air, Vincent persevered and continued to paint.🖼️ © The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Some people believe Vincent depicted himself in the foreground of this painting, ‘The Prisoners' Courtyard’ (after Gustave Doré), as the blonde person looking at us in the middle. Look a little closer… Vincent can be found further back, with a ginger beard. 😉 (2)

Van Goghs always tried to capture the essence of what he saw. In ‘Pine Trees and Dandelions’, he focused on the beauty of the forest floor, using thick strokes and delicate details. As he once wrote to Emile Bernard, 'I find it [the painting] ready-made in the real world’.

💐 Vincent painted 'Vase with Thistles' in Auvers-sur-Oise (FR). It captures the vibrancy of his friend Dr Gachet’s garden. Purple thistles and green leaves fill the earthenware pot. The outlines of the table and the leaves are reminiscent of the Japanese prints Vincent admired.

Matthew Wong’s paintings – mostly imagined landscapes – are portals to luminous, vibrant, moody places. Trees take on the shape of leaves and a forest resembles folkloric embroidery. Discover Wong's work at the exhibition ‘Painting as a Last Resort’, until 1 Sept.

Restoration 🔬 'Ploughed Fields (‘The Furrows’)’ had a glossy varnish that had yellowed over time. It was not applied by Van Gogh, who preferred a matt finish. (1) Micrographics reveal colour and texture before (2) and after restoration (3).

Edited reality 🔍 This sketch from Vincent's time at Goupil & Cie depicts the Binnenhof in The Hague. A daily scene altered by Vincent's creative touch; the corner building lacks a storey, and the lanterns as Vincent drew them never existed, at least not in The Hague. 💡

Lacking motivation? 📝 ‘Always continue walking a lot and loving nature, for that’s the real way to learn to understand art better and better. Painters understand nature and love it, and teach us to see’. ✍️ to Theo (1874).
‘Mountains at Saint-Rémy’, 1889. © Guggenheim Museum

Happy Mother’s Day! 💗 Vincent painted this portrait of his mother, based on a photo his sister sent him. He wanted to capture her in harmonious colours, the way he remembered her.
‘Portrait of the Artist’s Mother’ © Norton Simon Museum

🌊 Van Gogh sought a really ‘blue sea’ and ‘blue sky’ at the French coast. He travelled from Arles to Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a fishing village on the Mediterranean. He observed that the sea had ‘a colour like mackerel', its colours continually changing.

Van Gogh found beauty in everyday life. Commissioned to draw views of The Hague (NL) by his uncle, he chose this humble view from his window. Do you see the little scratched tree detail? (2) Vincent added them with his pen. 🖋️
🖼️ © Kröller Müller Museum

Vincent wrote to Theo 📝 ‘In my view I’m often very rich, not in money, but rich [...] because I’ve found my work — have something which I live for heart and soul and which gives inspiration and meaning to life.’

🖼️ © Detroit Institute of Arts

🇲🇫 Vincent revisited Montmartre in Paris at the age of 32. His first visit was when he was 20, when he worked at an art dealership. Vincent’s artist friends preferred painting urban scenes, but Vincent remained devoted to rural landscapes like the Moulin de Galette district.