Vincent van gogh"s lilacs was completed in 1889, shortly after vincent voluntarily entered the mental asylum of saint-paul-de-mausole. while his condition was assessed, van gogh considered the potential subjects available to him in confinement. these included an unkempt garden and the view out his window, but he longed to take his easel to the countryside. the leafy lilac trees, just coming into their pale blooms, gave vincent van gogh a subject to paint on the grounds of the asylum.