A patch of land, a few irises among the grass and small yellow flowers. On the long stems of buds, a single flower is in bloom. Since the point of view is very close, the irises fill the whole canvas.

This is one of the first paintings done by Vincent Van Gogh at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He checked in voluntarily, worried about his mental health which had been fragile since he left the hospital in Arles where he had been confined after cutting off his ear.

His torment did not prevent him from being productive: his very first week at Saint-Rémy, Vincent wrote to his brother Theo that he was painting "violet iris blossoms and a lilac bush, two subjects taken from the garden" of the asylum.

In May 1889, van Gogh left Arles and admitted himself voluntarily to the asylum in Saint-Rémy, Provence. Forbidden initially from setting up his easel outside the walls, he explored the cloistered garden, choosing the iris as his first subject. In a letter to his brother Theo, written within days of his arrival, Vincent described "some violet irises and a lilac bush, two motifs I have found in the garden."