The Artist's Blog

Van Gogh's original sketch of the night moth. Vincent van Gogh Museum

Yesterday I drew a very large, rather rare night moth…
its coloration astonishingly distinguished: black, grey, white, shaded, and with glints of carmine or vaguely tending towards olive green; it’s very big.

Vincent van Gogh

Oh, Vincent, Yes, Big indeed!

Last May, this gorgeous giant moth spent a night on the door of our garage. I had no idea what type of moth this was, but in researching it online, discovered that it is a Giant Peacock Moth, Saturnia pyri, native to Europe. 

To paint it I would have had to kill it, and that would have been a shame since the animal was so beautiful. I’ll send you the drawing of it with a few other drawings of plants.

Vincent van Gogh created these renderings of the Giant Peacock Moth during his time at the Saint-Paul Asylum in Saint-Remy, Provence. From 1889 to 1890 he was a self-admitted patient there, and confined to the grounds most of the time. In his letters to his brother Theo, he reveals his thoughts of the small world around him. Nature was a great source of inspiration and solace to him in this difficult time of his mental illness. 

I too have come to a place to heal. I came to Tuscany over 24 years ago after my bout with cancer and chemotherapy. Our home here in Tuscany and the surrounding gardens give me peace and the solace I need to continue to be well, and the inspiration to paint.

"Grote Nachtpauwoog" (Great Night Moth), Vincent van Gogh Museum

As Vincent relayed to Theo:

I’m obliged to ask you for some more colours, and especially some canvas. When I send you the 4 canvases of the garden I have on the go you’ll see that, considering that life happens above all in the garden, it isn’t so sad.

So yes, Vincent, our very large, rather rare night moth has dazzled us both. And Nature continues to amaze me.

My hope would be that at the end of a year I’ll know better than now what I can do and what I want. Then, little by little, an idea will come to me for beginning again. Coming back to Paris or anywhere at the moment doesn’t appeal to me at all, I feel that I’m in the right place here. In my opinion, what most of those who have been here for years are suffering from is an extreme sluggishness. 

Now, my work will preserve me from that to a certain extent.

Letters from Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo van Gogh
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 23 May 1889

vangoghletters.org

Saturnia pyri - Great Peacock Moth   8x8   Oil on Panel