Van Gogh's July 1890 wheatfield paintings, created shortly before his death, are re-examined, with 'Wheatfield with Crows' now believed to have been painted earlier than previously thought, around July 8.

Van Gogh's letters to his family on July 10 and July 23, 1890, describe his feelings of sadness and loneliness under 'turbulent skies' while painting the fields, as well as finding aspects of the countryside 'healthy and fortifying.'