Wheat Field with Crows: Meaning

Wheat Field with Crows is one of the most famous paintings by Vincent van Gogh and perhaps one of his last paintings.

The drama presented in it and the theme chosen, serves as a premonition of his death, which is commonly associated with the artist's suicide, which occurred a few weeks later.

Wheat Field with Crows. Vincent van Gogh. 1890 - Oil on Canvas (50.5 x 103) - Location: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

The representation of the wheat fields of Auvers-sur-Oise in different atmospheric conditions, was one of Van Gogh's favorite subjects during the last months of his life.

We can find in his work, other paintings of wheat fields, such as Wheat Field under a Stormy Sky, which was created on a canvas of the same dimensions, but Wheat Field with Crows is the only work in which the artist used brushstrokes with such forceful blows under a very turbulent sky.

Van Gogh had a great respect for the forces of nature and had already included similar skies in several of his works, but not with such intensity.

The presence of the crows, a bird associated with death, with the contrasting yellow wheat field, gives rise to the numerous interpretations that convey the painting.

In his numerous letters, Vincent always spoke of birds as a symbol of freedom, he wrote in 1880: "Please give me the freedom to be a bird like the other birds!"

In this painting, none of the roads seem to lead to an exit from the endless wheat fields, from which it seems that only the crows can escape.

But, once again, we must remember that trying to find 'symbolic interpretations' in Van Gogh's works, is a practice that, although attractive, may lead to unfounded conclusions.

The Association with the Artist's Suicide

The most constant association that leads the viewer to relate the painting to being a 'suicide note', should be left aside.

However, there are many arguments to support the idea that the painting represents the artist's own inner torment and despair.

Regardless of any interpretation, the painting is undoubtedly curious and certainly gives us a sense of sadness.

What we know is that we find in it a defeated artist in his last years, this power is terrifying and he managed to convey feelings of sadness and loneliness.

To conclude, it will be up to the observer to admire the vitality and turbulent harmony of each brushstroke found in the visual elements used, such as color and forms that surround the composition.

The secrets that may exist, if any, will continue to spin in their own indescribable realm, in the main symbol that involves the theme, the crows.