View from Theo's Apartment
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Paris, March-April 1887
oil on canvas,
45.9 cm x 38.1 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo after arriving in Paris. In June 1886, they moved into an apartment on Rue Lepic. Theo described its fine views of the city in a letter. He concluded, 'The different effects produced by atmospheric variations make it a subject for I don't know how many paintings.'
Van Gogh adopted an unusual approach to this view. On part of the canvas, he used the stippling technique he had learned from the Pointillists. He painted other parts loosely and freely. He probably felt that laying down the little dots was too rigid and time-consuming. It was out of keeping with his spontaneous way of painting.
