Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous painters in the world. However, he did not receive recognition during his lifetime - he sold only a few works and his brother Theo acted as his sponsors. After the death of Vincent van Gogh, his works received recognition and, to this day, surprise and delight many people.
2015 was the year of Van Gogh and it inspired the designers of the Forbo plant in Amsterdam to create something dedicated to Van Gogh.
In collaboration with the Krüller-Müller Museum and the Van Gogh Museum, 6 designs were created, digitally printed on Flotex. The design is based on elements of the most famous paintings by Van Gogh.
Flotex - motives of works by Vincent Van Gogh.
Inspiration & Collection
Forbo hopes that the flooring designs will in turn inspire you with their interpretation of Van Gogh's paintings. The close reproduction of tones and patterns is possible thanks to the technological features of Flotex flooring. Thanks to its high pile density, Flotex is ideal for digital printing and this allows you to create beautiful designs. Flotex is a durable and wear-resistant material, heavy traffic does not affect color fastness and the pattern remains as vivid and bright as when the floor was laid.
Flowering almond branch
Van Gogh painted this vibrant painting of a delicate almond branch against a bright blue background in honor of the birth of Vincent Willem's nephew. As a symbol of new life, Van Gogh chose the branches of an almond tree, a tree that blooms very early, thereby marking the arrival of spring.
The artist drew inspiration for the painting from the Japanese art of printing. The white flowers were pinker in the original. They turned pale under the influence of light, losing their former richness of color.
Sunflowers
This is a special vision of colors and composition. Van Gogh did not paint flowers in a vase or pot, not bouquets of various flowers, not an entourage or a background; only a few cut and wilted sunflowers. Flowers are shown in real size and fill the whole picture. In this painting, Van Gogh achieved what he was striving for: warmth and cold colors contrast with each other.
The combination of circular strokes in all directions and the uncertainty of the location of the flowers make this work a landmark for the Parisian period of the artist's work.
Night cafe terrace
Van Gogh has long wanted to portray the night sky. And most importantly, not in a standard form, in black and gray tones, but using a multi-color palette. The originality of the picture is that the canvas depicts a terrace in Arles at night, illuminated by a gas lamp, and the play of colors at night is amazing. To his sister Vil, he writes: "I enjoyed my work at night indescribably."
Notable for this canvas is the powerful contrast between warm yellows, greens and oranges, along with dark blue skies. Van Gogh: "I am sure that a lone lamp, giving a yellowness to the picture, makes it possible to highlight the blue."
Van Gogh was very accurate, which was proved by astronomical analysis a little later. He depicted the exact position of the stars on the night of September 16-17, 1888. Flotex's design depicts the night sky from this canvas.
Portrait of the Postman
Joseph Roulin worked as a postman at the Arles train station. Van Gogh often came there to send works to his brother Theo in Holland and they became close friends. In his letter to Theo, he characterizes Joseph as “not evil, not sad, not perfect, not happy, and not always honest. But a good man, very wise, sensitive and devoted."
Between August 1888 and April 1889, Van Gogh painted 6 portraits of Joseph, 3 of which have flowers in the background. He chose summer representatives as colors. Poppies, cornflowers, daisies and roses are painted in great detail and contrast with Joseph's face and beard with laid curls.
Poppies, cornflowers, daisies and roses form the basic pattern of the Postman on Flotex design.
Portrait of Augustine Roulin
Van Gogh portrayed Augustine Roulin, wife of Joseph Roulin, unnecessarily pretentious against a bright background. "La Berceuse" means both "lullaby" and "woman sitting next to the cradle", and this is understandable, since a rope is visible in the hands of a seated woman, connected to an invisible cradle.
Van Gogh attached particular importance to this portrait. Augustine symbolizes motherhood as such. The name and colors are a kind of musical notes in a lullaby, creating a feeling of comfort and warmth. The Flotex design is based on the canvas background.
Blooming meadow
In Paris, Van Gogh first got acquainted with the works of the Impressionists. He realizes that his color palette is very dark and old-fashioned, and he starts experimenting with lighter shades and masters new techniques. This is noticeable in the example of the painting "Blooming Meadow", where the grass is depicted with traced detail and observance of the color scheme in bright and light colors.
X-ray analysis shows that before the work "Blooming Meadow", he painted on this canvas a portrait of a woman in a hat. This proves that Van Gogh quickly changed technique and grew up as an artist.
The development of the style can be seen in his work, this is one of the reasons why our designers chose work as inspiration and create their own patterns.
Forbo hopes that the flooring designs will in turn inspire you with their interpretation of the paintings. Which artists inspire you or do you have your own pieces? We can also print them on Flotex under certain conditions. Contact customer service in your area for details.
Curious to know what else Flotex has to offer? Find out more about our Flotex collections.
material provided by Forbo
