Les Alyscamps

Following months of correspondence, Paul Gauguin joined Van Gogh in Arles in October 1888. Both were intent on depicting a "non-naturalist landscape". The paintings are of the first works that Van Gogh and Gauguin painted following Gauguin's arrival. Van Gogh and Gauguin visited an ancient Roman necropolis, "Les Alyscamps," which had been built by the Romans outside the city walls. Over time, the grounds were overtaken by factories and the railroad, leaving the Allee des Tombeaux (“avenue of tombs”), a lane of shady poplar trees that led to a Romanesque chapel. Since the two artists often painted identical subjects to compare their work with each other and chose the site of the Alyscamps to paint and compare. They produced several works, including this painting, Van Gogh's "Falling Autumn Leaves" ("Les Alyscamps") and Gauguin's "Alyscamps."