花园里的恋人：圣皮埃尔广场

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), 巴黎, 1887年5月

布面油画, 75.0 cm x 113.0 cm
Credits: 凡高美术馆，阿姆斯特丹（文森特·凡高基金会）

Van Gogh called this sunny park scene 'the painting of the garden with lovers'. Couples in love are strolling under the young chestnut trees and sitting along the winding paths.

He used a free variation on the technique of the Pointillists. They built up their compositions from dots of paint. Van Gogh instead applied small brushstrokes of varying length in different directions. This helped him to create the effect of a radiant spring day, which fit the sense of intimacy and togetherness he wished to express. He too longed for a wife and a family, but he had 'the most impossible love affairs'. He eventually resigned himself to the situation; he was devoted to his art.