Vincents van Gogh, one of the most celebrated painters in history, has had a huge influence on popular culture. His paintings, which were fueled by passion and pain at times, have inspired millions of fans worldwide. Since his death in 1890, his paintings have been the subject of a plethora of fan art, including paintings and drawings by artists, and this has led to the creation of perfumes.
Picasso’s famous painting of Vincent van Gogh, “The Portrait of Dr. Gachet”, is one of the world’s most recognisable paintings. It features in most art history books, is a fixture in museums, and is the subject of several TV mini-series, but very few people are aware that it was inspired by Van Gogh’s letters to his sister.
“Vincent van Gogh’s famous art” has taken on a new life in the form of perfumes. Just recently, perfumer Isabella Burley released the Van Gogh perfumes collection (available at Harrods), which consists of three scents inspired by the artist’s famous works, including “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers.” The latter is particularly interesting, as it is based on one of the artist’s most famous self-portraits, which hangs in the Louvre. Burley also released a scented candle that is simply titled “Vincent Van Gogh” and is billed as a combination of the artist’s most famous works.
Vincent van Gogh’s art is reimagined in smell in this fragrance (Picture: Floral Street and Getty)
In an 1874 letter to his brother Theo, Vincent van Gogh said, “If one really loves nature, one sees beauty everywhere.”
Van Gogh, whose internationally renowned namesake museum in Amsterdam contains many of his finest works, was often inspired by nature.
Floral Street, a London-based independent and ecological fragrance company, looks to nature for inspiration as well.
So it’s no surprise that these two companies — the Van Gogh Museum and Floral Street – are collaborating for a four-year project dubbed “great art meets fine scent.”
This is the first time the Van Gogh Museum has partnered with a fragrance business to enable the artist’s works to be interpreted in this manner.
So, if you’ve ever wondered how Van Gogh’s renowned paintings would transfer into fragrance, you’ll get to find out over the next four years.
Sunflower Pop, their debut fragrance, was released this week and is inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting “Sunflowers, 1889.”
The packaging of the perfume even has ‘Sunflowers,1998′ printed onto the bottle, which is probably his most popular picture.
Sunflower Pop is one of several perfumes inspired by Vincent van Gogh that will be released in the near future (Picture: Floral Street)
Floral Street creator Michelle Feeney told Metro.co.uk: ‘Our first launch from this partnership had to be identifiable, uplifting, and it had to be flowers.’ Sunflowers provide us with all of these benefits.
‘A master perfumer has been inspired by the work of a previous master, merging their skills for the contemporary day and translating the arts into an accessible, collectible piece of Van Gogh for everyone to enjoy.’
Bergamot, mandarin, bellini accord, passion fruit, plum blossom, blue orris, vegan honey accord, and crisp amber are among the notes in the EDP.
It’s sweet, fruity, and zesty, making it seem cheerful and bright, which is ideal for this time of year.
In terms of performance, the scent is mild yet lasts for hours on the skin.
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Jerome Epinette, the brand’s perfumer, sought to reflect the beauty of the south of France (where van Gogh was living at the time) in the fragrance and make it seem joyful and welcoming. The aim is to make people feel’sun-soaked,’ which Jerome thinks represents the painting’s real tone and spirit.
The company also sought a scent that was ‘happy, lively, expressive, and brilliant,’ drawing inspiration from van Gogh’s own personal positive temperament at the time of this painting.
Van Gogh is renowned for his mental health problems, yet his writings from this time in France seem to indicate that he was in an elevated and inspired state of mind.
This is only the beginning of a long line of smells to come (with candles potentially in the works too, as Floral Street branched out into home scents not too long ago).
We’re excited to scent deeper favorites like “Starry Night.”
Sunflower Pop costs £24 and is available for purchase online.
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After the death of the artist, his brother Theo was commissioned to sell off his brother’s art works. In doing so, he discovered a large stash of artworks he had previously sold that his brother didn’t know about. He includes 4 of these famous paintings in his newly-launched online store. Therefore, you can now own four of Van Gogh’s artworks at once.. Read more about what perfumes do celebrities wear and let us know what you think.
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