The Church at Auvers Cross Stitch Pattern

Description

Church at Auvers cross stitch pattern was inspired by Van Gogh’s 1890 oil painting of the village church on a bright sunny day. I think you’ll love recreating the dark blue sky and thick brushstrokes that define the church’s arched windows and belltower.

The Project

This is a large, full coverage cross stitch and measures 45.4cm x 58.4cm (80,500 stitches) when stitched on 14 count Aida cloth. You’ll need 98 different DMC threads and will use about 45 skeins in total. I took a lot of care to chart this in full colour blocks with very little confetti.

PLEASE NOTE: your download pack contains an extra chart that has been verified and tested in the Pattern Keeper App. I use PK to manage all my large cross stitch projects so I always create an extra chart for my customers.

The Painting

The 1890 Church at Auvers was painted about a month before Van Gogh died, and depicts the church from the Parisian village of Auvers-sur-Oise. In his own words:

Apart from these I have a larger picture of the village church – an effect in which the building appears to be violet-hued against a sky of simple deep blue colour, pure cobalt; the stained-glass windows appear as ultramarine blotches, the roof is violet and partly orange.

In the foreground some green plants in bloom, and sand with the pink flow of sunshine in it. And once again it is nearly the same thing as the studies I did in Nuenen of the old tower and the cemetery, only it is probably that now the colour is more expressive, more sumptuous.

Letter to Van Gogh’s sister Wilhelmina, 5 June 1890

The Artist

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch Post-impressionist painter who is arguably one of the world’s most famous and influential artists. It’s sadly ironic that he hardly sold a painting during his life (living in poverty for all of his career), but now reproductions of his artwork can be found on cushions, wall prints, mugs, t-shirts, stickers, screensavers … and of course cross stitch projects. But they are so beautiful we all want to share in the Van Gogh genius.

His work is defined by his bright colours (oh, the Starry Night) and thick, expressive brush strokes. I am so excited about developing more cross stitch patterns of my favourite Vincent Van Gogh paintings. Browse the store to find your own.