Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Painters of Provence
Whether it was the search for a refuge, light or more clement weather, it seems that every
painter who settled in Provence came here looking for something - and found a lot more
than they could have hoped for.
The Impressionists
Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) arrived in Arles from Paris in 1888; the painter was keen to
get away from the excesses of the capital and he settled down quickly. The town, local cus-
toms, landscape and unique light all enchanted him and provided much inspiration for his
work. By the time he left Arles a year later, he'd done more than 200 oil paintings - includ-
ing masterpieces such as
Bedroom in Arles
(1888) and
Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sun-
flowers
(1888) - and over 100 drawings.
The now famous spate with fellow impressionist Paul Gauguin during which Van Gogh
cut his own ear off occurred in December 1888. Over the next few months, Van Gogh was
in and out of hospital; in May 1889, he decided to voluntarily enter an asylum in St-Rémy
de Provence.
His time at the asylum proved to be as productive as his time in Arles. Van Gogh aver-
aged one painting a day during his stay and we owe works such as
Starry Night
(1889) and
several haunting self-portraits to this period. Van Gogh left St-Rémy in May 1890 to join
his brother Theo in Auvers-sur-Oise; he shot himself two months later.
It is widely acknowledged that Van Gogh's Provençal work represents the height of his
art. Unfortunately, Van Gogh's talent was largely unrecognised during his lifetime and few
of his paintings remain in the region (Musée Angladon,
Click here
)
, in Avignon and Musée
Granet,
Click here
), in Aix-en-Provence have just a couple of works).
For further biographical information,
Click here
.
Cézanne
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) is without a doubt the most Provençal of all the impressionists.
His work is generally credited with providing a transition from 'traditional' 19th-century
art to the radical new art forms of the 20th century, notably cubism.
