Lena Rivera
Vincent van Gogh is considered one of the greatest painters in history, with his work gaining widespread critical and commercial success in the decades following his death. During his short stay in Paris, van Gogh painted many scenes of the city, including views from Montmartre, where he lived. He also painted city scenes and experimented with the Impressionists' loose brushstrokes and light colour palette. Van Gogh's time in Paris is considered pivotal to his career, as he encountered many of the giants of Impressionism, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Paul Gauguin. While van Gogh's exact number of paintings created in Paris is unknown, it is estimated that he produced over 2,000 artworks in his lifetime, including around 860 to 900 oil paintings, with most of them completed in the last two years of his life.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of paintings created in Paris | 27 |
| Time spent in Paris | 2 years |
| Reason for moving to Paris | To save money by living with his brother, Theo, To explore Impressionism |
| Artists who influenced Van Gogh in Paris | Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Eugène Delacroix, Rembrandt van Rijn |
| Notable paintings from the Paris period | The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise, The Poet, Self-Portraits |
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's time in Paris
During his time in Paris, Vincent van Gogh lived with his brother, Theo, a successful art dealer. Van Gogh had moved to Paris to save money and to explore the new approach to art that had been ushered in by the Impressionists. He encountered many of the leading Impressionists during his time in Paris, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Paul Gauguin.
Although Van Gogh did not fully accept many of the theories proposed by the Impressionists, he did adapt some of their techniques, which would later help define his unique style. He painted new subjects, such as city scenes, and practiced the Impressionists' loose brushstrokes and light colour palette. His artistic work evolved at a rapid pace. He also painted many scenes in the district of Montmartre, which, at the time, was on the outskirts of the city and still partly undeveloped. It was an inexpensive place to live, with picturesque surroundings, windmills, and vegetable gardens.
Van Gogh's work began to attract critical artistic attention in the last year of his life. After his death, his art and life story captured the public imagination as an emblem of misunderstood genius. His bold use of colour, expressive line, and thick application of paint inspired avant-garde artistic groups like the Fauves and German Expressionists in the early 20th century.
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His influences and contemporaries
Vincent van Gogh painted more than 200 paintings during his two-year stay in Paris. This period was pivotal in his career as an artist, as he explored the Impressionists' radically new approach to art.
Influences and Contemporaries
Van Gogh was influenced by Millet, Monet, Gauguin, and Japanese artist Hiroshige, among others. In a letter to his brother Theo in 1888, Van Gogh expressed his admiration for Japanese art, writing that it taught them "a new religion" and made them "return to nature". He was particularly drawn to Hiroshige's use of large areas of simple colours, bold outlines, strong colours, attention to details from nature, and the overall atmosphere of oriental art.
Van Gogh's contemporaries included notable artists such as Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Emile Bernard. He actively participated in discussions about art and social situations with these contemporaries, often arguing passionately with them late into the night in the cafes of Montmartre. While Van Gogh did not fully accept the Impressionists' theories, he adapted some of their techniques, such as the use of bold colours, expressive lines, and thick application of paint, which further defined his unique style.
Another artist frequently mentioned in Vincent's letters was Jules Breton. In 1885, Van Gogh described Breton's famous work "The Song of the Lark" as "fine". He even embarked on an 80-kilometre trip to meet Breton but returned without making his presence known, intimidated by Breton's success and the high wall around his estate.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which holds the world's largest collection of his paintings and drawings, continues to add to the collection started by Theo and Vincent. The museum conducts research and acquires works by Van Gogh's contemporaries, such as "Woman Bathing" by Edgar Degas and "Plate of Peaches" by Gustave Caillebotte.
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His artistic evolution
Vincent van Gogh, one of the most renowned and influential artists of the Post-Impressionist era, created a vast body of work that numbered over 2,000 pieces, including approximately 860 oil paintings and over 1,300 watercolours, drawings, sketches, and prints. While he spent time in various locations across the Netherlands, Belgium, England, and France, it was his time in Paris, from 1886 to 1888, that marked a significant period of artistic development and evolution.
During his two-year stay in the artistic hub of Paris, Van Gogh created an estimated 200 paintings, a pace of creation that was unprecedented for him up to that point. This period marked a transformative phase in his artistic style and technique, as he moved away from the dark, earthy colours of his early work and embraced a brighter, more vibrant palette. The influence of the Impressionist and Pointillist movements, as well as the work of artists like Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Georges Seurat, is evident in Van Gogh's Paris works.
One of the most notable aspects of Van Gogh's artistic evolution in Paris was his experimentation with colour. He began to employ a technique known as complementary colour contrast, where colours opposite each other on the colour wheel are paired to create a vibrant, luminous effect. This can be seen in paintings such as "The Night Café" (1888), where the warm, golden hues of the interior contrast with the cool, blue tones of the night outside.
Van Gogh's time in Paris also saw him develop a unique style of brushwork, characterised by short, dynamic brushstrokes that added texture and movement to his paintings. This technique, often referred to as the "impasto" style, can be seen in works such as "Bedroom in Arles" (1888), where the thickly applied paint creates a sense of depth and three-dimensionality. He also began to incorporate a technique known as "chiaroscuro," the use of strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume and modelling, as seen in his "Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat" (1887).
The subject matter of Van Gogh's paintings also evolved during his time in Paris. While he continued to paint still lifes and landscapes, he became increasingly interested in portraiture and figure painting, often depicting members of the working class and everyday people he encountered in Paris. His portraits from this period, such as "L'Italienne" (1887) and "Portrait of Père Tanguy" (1887), showcase his ability to capture the character and personality of his subjects through expressive brushwork and vibrant colour choices.
In addition to his artistic development, Van Gogh's time in Paris was also significant for the social and intellectual stimulation it provided. He frequently visited museums and galleries, studying the works of the Old Masters as well as his contemporary artists. He also engaged in lively discussions and debates with other artists, including his fellow countryman Emile Bernard and the Australian artist John Russell, exchanging ideas and influencing each other's work.
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His prolific output
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter and one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. He produced an incredible number of paintings in his short life, which changed the way we think of art.
Van Gogh's oeuvre includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, most of which are characterised by bold colours and dramatic brushwork that contributed to the rise of expressionism in modern art. He created approximately 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of them in the last two years of his life. He painted more than thirty self-portraits in the three-year period from 1886 to 1889, using himself as a model because it was cheaper than paying a model. During the last two months of his life, Van Gogh finished seventy paintings, one per day.
Van Gogh's work was only beginning to gain critical attention before he died by a self-inflicted gunshot at the age of 37. During his lifetime, only one of Van Gogh's paintings, "The Red Vineyard", was sold. Today, his works are among the world's most expensive paintings ever sold.
Van Gogh's time in Paris was pivotal for his career as an artist. He lived with his brother, Theo, and explored the radically new approach to art that had been ushered in by the Impressionists. He encountered many of the giants of Impressionism, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Paul Gauguin. While Van Gogh did not fully accept many of the theories put forth by the Impressionists, he adapted some of their techniques in a manner that would further define his own unique style. His palette came alive, and he painted new subjects, such as city scenes, and practiced the Impressionists' loose brushstrokes and light colour palette.
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His favourite subjects
During his two-year stay in Paris, Vincent van Gogh produced a series of works that would prove pivotal to his career as an artist. Van Gogh's oeuvre includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, most of which are characterised by bold colours and dramatic brushwork.
While in Paris, Van Gogh painted portraits of friends and acquaintances, still lifes, and views of Paris, particularly of Montmartre. He also painted scenes in the rural village of Asnières and along the Seine. One of his favourite subjects was the Boulevard de Clichy, which marks the southern boundary of Montmartre and was a favourite among artists in Paris. Van Gogh also painted the windmills of Montmartre, including Le Moulin de la Galette, which dated back to the early 19th century.
Van Gogh's time in Paris was also marked by his exploration of Impressionism. He encountered many of the giants of Impressionism, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Paul Gauguin. While he did not fully accept the theories put forth by the Impressionists, he adapted some of their techniques, such as loose brushstrokes and a light colour palette, in a manner that would further define his unique style.
One of Van Gogh's favourite subjects during this time was Père Tanguy, whom he painted three times, using more and more colour and light with each painting, illustrating the transformation he experienced during his time in Paris. The last portrait, which shows Père Tanguy surrounded by Japanese prints, ended up in the Musée Rodin, as the sculptor had admired Van Gogh’s work.
In addition to his portraits and city scenes, Van Gogh also painted self-portraits and still lifes while in Paris. One notable still life is "Imperial Fritillaries in a Copper Vase", which is on display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
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Frequently asked questions
Van Gogh's time in Paris is said to be the most pivotal of his career. In the two years he spent in the city, he completed around 70 paintings.
Van Gogh was inspired by the Impressionists like Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro. He painted new subjects, such as city scenes, and practiced the Impressionists' loose brushstrokes and light colour palette. He also painted many scenes in the district of Montmartre, which was popular among artists at the time.
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris holds 27 of Van Gogh's paintings from this period.
