Undergrowth

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, July 1889

oil on canvas, 73.0 cm x 92.3 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

This Van Gogh painting shows a corner of the garden at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. 'I also have a new one with ivy on the go,' he wrote to his brother Theo. He had made paintings of the same subject near Paris two years earlier.

At first glance, all you can see here are some tree trunks overgrown with ivy and patches of light on the ground. But if you zoom into this painting, you can hardly see anything but a sea of loose brushstrokes. These strokes are mostly short and surprisingly varied in colour. The only longer lines are the outlines of the trees.

F-number

F0746

JH-number

JH1762

Object number

s0051V1962

Credits (obliged to state)

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Dimensions

73.0 cm x 92.3 cm, 92.2 cm x 111.6 cm