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| My Necklace based on the colors from the Street Scene picture for the ABS monthly contest. |
Street Scene in Montmartre: Le Moulin a Poivre by Vincent Van Gogh
Oil on canvas
34.5 x 64.5 cm.
Paris: February-March, 1887
About the Art
Montmartre was still semi-rural when lived Vincent there with his brother Theo. There was farmland and allotment gardens; three of the celebrated windmills were still standing. The latter were a favorite destination for day-trippers from the city. The largest mill in the painting, Le Blute-Fin, had a pavement café affording a magnificent view over Paris; at the top of the mill, there was a viewing platform. Round the mills there were also various catering establishments and dance halls.
Here Van Gogh stresses the rustic charm of the area, showing people working in their allotments. Nonetheless, modern development looms: to the left of the smaller mill, a large apartment building rises above the fields.
Here Van Gogh stresses the rustic charm of the area, showing people working in their allotments. Nonetheless, modern development looms: to the left of the smaller mill, a large apartment building rises above the fields.
About the Artist
The two years Van Gogh spent in Paris were arguably the most pivotal of his career as an artist. Van Gogh went to Paris as a means of saving money (by living with his brother, Theo) and also to explore the radically new approach to art which had been ushered in by the Impressionists. Vincent encountered many of the giants of Impressionism during his time in Paris: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat and, of course, Paul Gauguin. While Vincent didn't fully accept many of the theories put forth by the Impressionists (on many occasions he would passionately argue with his contemporaries late into the night in the cafes of Montmartre), he nevertheless adapted some of their techniques in a manner that would further define his own unique style. In Paris, Van Gogh's palette came alive.
