Van Gogh’s Irises, which he painted while committed to an asylum, started out violet but turned blue over time. The red he used (the color associated with madness) is gone, and all we see is the purity of the primary color associated with peace. Where his life as an artist began (optimism) looked so different from where it ended (despair). But where people’s view of him as an artist was when he died (madness) looks so different from how his life is regarded today (brilliance).