Painting Guides

Read paintings through their subjects, documented identities and collection records. Each guide links to the sources used and to relevant parts of the catalogue.

• Which Sunflowers? Distinguishing Paintings and Versions

  Distinguish documented Sunflowers paintings in New York, London and Philadelphia, and avoid confusing Van Gogh’s works with Gauguin’s portrait.

• The Starry Night vs Starry Night Over the Rhône

  Compare Van Gogh’s Saint-Rémy painting at MoMA with the earlier Rhône night scene at the Musée d’Orsay using separate records and sources.

• Reading Van Gogh’s Letters Alongside His Paintings

  Learn to identify a Van Gogh letter, compare translation and notes, and distinguish a painting from an enclosed sketch using letter 691.