Explore the Height of Van Gogh's career of this artwork.
At the time that van Gogh painted this portrait he was 35 years old.  Living in Arles in southern France, he was at the height of his career, producing some of his best work. His paintings represented different aspects of ordinary life, such as Harvest at La Crau and this painting, La  Mousmé.  The sunflower paintings, some of the most recognizable of van Gogh's paintings, were created in this time.  He worked continuously to keep up with his ideas for paintings.  This is likely one of van Gogh's happier periods of life.  He is confident, clear-minded and seemingly content.In a letter to his brother, Theo, he wrote, "Painting as it is now, promises to become more subtle - more like music and less like sculpture - and above all, it promises color." As a means of explanation, van Gogh explains that being like music means being comforting.A prolific time, in less than 444 days van Gogh made about 100 drawings and produced more than 200 paintings.  Yet, he still found time and energy to write more than 200 letters.  While he painted quickly, mindful of the pace farmers would need to work in the hot sun, he spent time thinking about his paintings long before he put brush to canvas.
France Theo Arles sunflower paintings