Vincent van Gogh
In early 1888, after staying in Paris for almost two years, Vincent van Gogh had had enough of the city and wanted to return to the countryside. Artist friends told him about the south of France, "the land of the blue tints and cheerful colours," and he decided to make Provence his next destination.
It proved to be a good choice: "I’ve never had such good fortune; nature here is extraordinarily beautiful. Everything and everywhere. The dome of the sky is a wonderful blue, the sun has a pale sulphur radiance, and it’s soft and charming, like the combination of celestial blues and yellows in paintings by Vermeer of Delft."
Fairly soon after arriving in Arles, Van Gogh painted multiple versions of the drawbridge just south of the town: four paintings, two drawings, a watercolor, and a sketch. This painting has a dynamic composition. The canal forms a diagonal that carries the total image. This leads the eye toward the bridge and the covered wagon that crosses it.
We present today's work thanks to the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo. : )
P.S. If you don't have enough of van Gogh, check our van Gogh Notebook. Also, in DailyArt Magazine it is Landscape Week; check out the weekly newsletter and enjoy the most beautiful landscapes of the American West here. <3