Olive Tree by Vincent van Gogh corresponds to the celebrated 1889 landscape The Olive Trees, painted at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence during June–July 1889. Van Gogh transformed an olive grove, the distant Alpilles and a luminous Provençal sky into an intensely rhythmic landscape of twisting trunks, rolling hills and energetic brushwork. Catalogued as F 712 / JH 1740, the historic oil-on-canvas painting is held by The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Alpha Art Gallery offers reproductions as canvas prints, fine art prints, framed prints and 100% hand-painted oil paintings.

About The Olive Trees by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh painted The Olive Trees shortly after entering Saint-Paul-de-Mausole at Saint-Rémy in May 1889. The Museum of Modern Art dates the painting to June–July 1889 and records the original at approximately 72.6 × 91.4 cm.

The scene depicts olive trees beneath the rolling hills of the Alpilles. Instead of presenting the grove as a calm arrangement of stationary trees, Van Gogh makes nearly every part of the landscape appear active. Trunks twist, foliage curls, the earth rises and falls, mountains undulate and a large cloud seems to move through the bright sky.

This product should not be confused with other Van Gogh olive-grove paintings from 1889. He returned repeatedly to the subject, producing numerous distinct canvases. The MoMA work is specifically F 712 / JH 1740.

A Daylight Companion to The Starry Night

One of the most important facts about this painting is its relationship to The Starry Night. Van Gogh’s letters show that he considered the olive-tree landscape and his famous nocturnal sky as complementary experiments.

The Starry Night explores the landscape under darkness, moonlight and stars, while The Olive Trees presents nature beneath brilliant daylight. Both transform the Saint-Rémy environment through highly intensified line and colour rather than attempting photographic accuracy.

MoMA notes that Van Gogh deliberately exaggerated the general arrangement and strengthened outlines. This freedom allowed him to communicate his experience of the landscape rather than simply document its appearance.

Why Van Gogh Was Fascinated by Olive Trees

Olive groves became one of Van Gogh’s most sustained Saint-Rémy subjects. Their changing colours and irregular forms presented exactly the kind of challenge he enjoyed.

The trunks are rarely straight. Branches divide unpredictably, leaves react strongly to changing light, and the colour of an olive grove can shift between green, blue, silver and warmer earth tones depending on the conditions.

Van Gogh’s letters describe his fascination with these transformations. The trees gave him a subject in which colour, rhythm and direct observation could work together without requiring formal symmetry.

Movement Across the Entire Landscape

The painting’s most memorable quality is its sense of movement. Rather than isolating motion in one dramatic object, Van Gogh spreads it across trees, ground, mountains and sky.

The olive trunks bend and twist. Repeated strokes make foliage appear to vibrate. The contours of the distant Alpilles echo those rhythms, while the large cloud continues the same sweeping movement above.

This creates unusually strong visual unity. The landscape does not appear divided into foreground, middle ground and background as completely separate zones. Instead, every part participates in one larger rhythm.

Brushwork and Post-Impressionism

The Olive Trees is a major example of Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist approach to landscape. Nature remains recognizable, yet colour and brushwork are increasingly independent expressive forces.

Paint is applied directionally. Marks bend around trunks, follow the contours of hills and build the irregular foliage. The viewer can therefore read individual brushstrokes while also perceiving a complete landscape.

Van Gogh compared the strengthened outlines in this work with those found in older woodcuts. That emphasis gives the trees and hills a strongly graphic structure beneath the moving paint surface.

Historical Artwork Details

The historical original belongs to The Museum of Modern Art. Alpha Art Gallery offers reproductions rather than Van Gogh’s original painting and does not imply museum affiliation, authorization or endorsement.

Choose Your Olive Trees Reproduction

Museum-Quality Canvas Prints

Alpha Art Gallery’s canvas prints use substantial 400–450 GSM museum-quality canvas. The broad composition works particularly well at medium and large sizes because viewers can appreciate both the complete olive grove from a distance and the changing brushwork at closer range.

100% Hand-Painted Oil Reproduction

For a work so dependent on directional paint, a hand-painted oil reproduction can be especially appealing. Alpha Art Gallery’s versions are individually painted by professional artists using oil on canvas, producing actual brushwork, texture and subtle handmade variation.

How to Display Olive Trees by Van Gogh

The landscape orientation makes this artwork naturally suited to broad walls above sofas, sideboards, beds or desks. A larger canvas can emphasize the immersive motion of the grove, while a framed print creates a more structured presentation for studies and offices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Van Gogh’s original Olive Trees?

The F 712 / JH 1740 version is held by The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

When did Van Gogh paint The Olive Trees?

MoMA dates the painting to June–July 1889 during Van Gogh’s stay at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

Is Olive Trees related to The Starry Night?

Yes. Van Gogh’s letters show that he regarded this daylight olive landscape and The Starry Night as complementary explorations of the Saint-Rémy environment.

How large is the original?

The MoMA painting measures approximately 72.6 × 91.4 cm.

Can I buy Olive Trees as a canvas print?

Yes. Alpha Art Gallery offers the work on 400–450 GSM museum-quality canvas in multiple sizes.

Is a hand-painted version available?

Yes. Professional artists individually create 100% hand-painted oil reproductions on canvas.

Does Alpha Art Gallery ship worldwide?

Yes. Free worldwide shipping is included on all Alpha Art Gallery orders.

Bring Van Gogh’s Olive Grove Into Your Space

The Olive Trees combines one of Van Gogh’s favourite Provençal subjects with the forceful brushwork and rhythmic landscape construction of his Saint-Rémy period. Choose canvas, fine art, framed or hand-painted oil presentation in the scale that best suits your wall.