Landscape near Arles

This canvas was the first painting that Paul Gauguin created during his two-month stay in Provence with Vincent van Gogh in 1888, following a productive summer in Pont-Aven. Gauguin had rejected Impressionism’s focus on the visible world, instead modifying nature's shapes and colors to reflect his subjective response to the landscape. In this composition, however, Gauguin emphasizes forms and structure. The rural subject matter and vivid colors reflect van Gogh's influence, but the image owes more to Paul Cézanne. Gauguin's careful integration of the haystack and farm buildings mirrors Cézanne's focus on geometric form.

P.S. Paul Gauguin was one of the most ground-breaking Post-Impressionists. Discover his art through 10 Gauguin masterpieces.