The piece for discussion is Vincent van Gogh’s “Mulberry Tree”, which is part of the permanent collection at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. It is a relatively smaller-sized oil on canvas painting. The image is one of a single mulberry tree that seems to be in the fall stage, as the colors of the leaves are more golden rather than the usual green that one finds in any mulberry tree in the summer or when there are fruits on the tree. The single tree is set against a background of a lighter – colored ground and a very blue sky. It could be that the lighter-colored ground could be a rocky surface instead of a grass field.
What the tree and the ground could symbolize is that there still could be life amidst an environment of death and nothingness. The tree could be a symbol for life – although the life of the tree itself in this case may be ebbing or draining away, as the leaves of the tree are a golden color already, instead of being green. The white, pale and rocky ground could be said to symbolize death or illness, as what was afflicting Van Gogh at that time.
The mulberry tree is in the foreground of the frame, and occupies most of the frame itself, especially with its thick foliage. In the background, one can find a smaller tree that is painted dark green, and another clump of green trees can be found. It could be a bush as well. The trunk of the tree seems to lie against a small tablet-like object, which one may think is either just a rock or a tombstone. The fact that the mulberry tree appears to dominate the entire picture makes the viewer think that life, while ebbing could still triumph over death or nothingness.
Van Gogh is able to make excellent use of color. The darker browns, oranges, golds and ochres of the leaves of the mulberry tree contrast against the very dark brown trunk of the same. The golds, yellows, oranges of the foliage contrast very well with the very azure sky of the background of the picture. The base of the tree is also made very visible because of the use of whites and light yellow hues on the ground. There are a few snippets of green on the ground, as represented by a few slivers of grasses that are visible at the back of the tree. The colors of the tree seem to change from being quite darker at the heart of the foliage to brighter at the ends of the leaves of the tree. The use of less-bright colors for the tree can be used to mean that the painting wishes to convey a more somber mood or tone. One can imagine the frustration that Van Gogh must have felt during this time due to his own illness. The fact that the painting may have been painted during autumn may also provide some insight as to how Van Gogh may have been feeling at the time – that soon, it was going to be winter, and that the mulberry tree will soon shed its leaves and become devoid of any form of life.
As for texture, the painting does not look flat at all. This is because Van Gogh used strokes consuming thicker amounts of paints than normal. There is a certain “thickness” to the tree, and to the background as well. Entire strokes are quite visible, although when viewed together, the strokes give way to forms and shapes as well.
The characteristics of many paintings in Europe during the late 19th century when this painting was made was that there was the use of brushstrokes to present what is real or true in a painting. Van Gogh was able to portray this with his brushstrokes and the use of color what trees in autumn looked like. The brushstrokes make the tree a more living creature than a static image as what was normally portrayed before this time.
The colors can truly be symbolic. Van Gogh chose to use the ochres, yellows and oranges for the mulberry tree while there are green trees and bushes in the background. It appears that Van Gogh may have been wanting to show that life for him was slowly being taken away from him, but that he himself may have been struggling to stay alive – by painting, and by revealing what he felt at the time.
The painting could be considered to be Dionysian in nature, as the swirling leaves of the tree seem to be chaotic and disorderly, but at the same time, they seem to be very alive. The brushstrokes themselves seem to be moving, all the more contributing to giving the tree a sense of being alive or living in the moment.
I do not think that the painting conveys any social or political message. I believe that the painting conveys a personal message from Van Gogh. It is as if he is telling the viewer that he may be nearing the end of his life, but at the moment, he is still very alive. He may be struggling to keep his sanity, but that he is still productive and that he can still turn out beautiful pieces or works of art.
This piece has made me realize that all of us may have their own personal struggles in life, but that one may overcome these struggles if he puts his mind to it. Van Gogh may have struggled with mental illness, but he still fought his way through it and continued to paint despite the fact that he was confined for mental illness during this time. His own illness did not prevent him from being very creative. He continued to paint, and it was as if he wished to emphasize his feelings more through his bolder and more colorful and intense brushstrokes. Mental illness or any other problem or disability or issue should not be a hindrance to what one can possibly do in the form of work or any other positive output.
