In August 1888, Vincent Van Gogh is very happy at the prospect of welcoming his friend Paul Gauguin in Arles, in the south of France. He hopes to create an artist colony and share his passion with other fellow artists. 

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In order to decorate their studio, he creates 4 paintings with sunflowers in a vase that summer. He will later paint 3 more in the winter 1889 (the repetitions).

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On this post, Vincent share his first 3 paintings with Gauguin. The second version (in the middle) was sadly destroyed in Japan in 1945.​

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The emoji of shaking hands represents both how he signed his letters by "a good handshake" and the partnership he hoped to create.

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Sources: vangoghletters.org

Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith