14th September 2024 - 19 January 2025
Eleventh visit on Tuesday 3rd December.
Arrived at about 10:25.
It was busy so the processional viewing was operating with visitors pausing to read from the brochure in front of the paintings before moving on.
The 'Public Garden with Couple and Blue Fir Tree: The Poet's Garden III, Arles October 1888' image from last week looked very good against the original painting!
Arrived at about 10:25.
It was busy so the processional viewing was operating with visitors pausing to read from the brochure in front of the paintings before moving on.
The 'Public Garden with Couple and Blue Fir Tree: The Poet's Garden III, Arles October 1888' image from last week looked very good against the original painting!
I had ended last weeks visit with 'Vincent's House in Arles (The Yellow House) 1888' and I took another image today with the idea in mind of making groups of images of each of my preferred paintings. I had started to do this, to some extent already...
I was aware that having developed the image capture strategy there were a few of the paintings where I had recently capture the framed version but not the close up full image so most of the shots today were following up on that, visitors permitting!
I had to wait a long time to get the image of 'The Public Park at Arles' because it is the first painting in the second room of the exhibition.
I had to wait a long time to get the image of 'The Public Park at Arles' because it is the first painting in the second room of the exhibition.
The Public Park at Arles
Arles: October, 1888
oil on canvas
72 x 93 cm
Private collection
Arles: October, 1888
oil on canvas
72 x 93 cm
Private collection
The same applied to 'Entrance to the Public Park in Arles, September, 1888' it being the next painting along the wall in the second room.
I had been thinking more about the slightly 'odd' palettes that Van Gogh arrived at in many of the paintings and how the artist may, on occasions' have cornered himself colour wise. This is somewhat crucial in respect of pigments that have subsequently changed in appearance over the years. The chrome yellows and some violet pigments have lost their original values.
I had been thinking more about the slightly 'odd' palettes that Van Gogh arrived at in many of the paintings and how the artist may, on occasions' have cornered himself colour wise. This is somewhat crucial in respect of pigments that have subsequently changed in appearance over the years. The chrome yellows and some violet pigments have lost their original values.
Entrance to the Public Park in Arles, September, 1888
oil on canvas
72.5 x 91 cm
The Phillips Collection, Washington
oil on canvas
72.5 x 91 cm
The Phillips Collection, Washington
I am also taking a view on the tendency to 'finish' a painting with impasto 'highlights'. I think that this is an aesthetically displeasing aspect of Van Goghs paintings and one that has been picked on by 'imitators'!
I can fully understand that wet oil paint being laid over wet oil paint is a difficult material situation but it can also become very mannered as if the artist has no way out of the 'corner'.
I can fully understand that wet oil paint being laid over wet oil paint is a difficult material situation but it can also become very mannered as if the artist has no way out of the 'corner'.
The Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital, Saint-Rémy: November, 1889
oil on canvas
73.1 x 92.6 cm
Museum Folkwang, Essen
oil on canvas
73.1 x 92.6 cm
Museum Folkwang, Essen
According to the 'experts' the violet elements in 'The Bridge at Trinquetaille' have faded apparently to brown/grey and the chrome yellows in some of the Sunflowers have darkened although the two in this exhibition do not appear to have been affected in that way. There is however an odd flattening of colour borders in the sunflower paintings which I find 'odd'.
The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles, April, 1889
oil on canvas
73 x 92 cm
Oskar Reinhart Collection 'Am Römerholz' Winterthur
oil on canvas
73 x 92 cm
Oskar Reinhart Collection 'Am Römerholz' Winterthur
Today I looked at 'The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles, April, 1889' and wondered if the grey values had originally had a stronger violet aspect as the description of 'spring greens' is maybe not really seen in the painting as it is now.
The curatorial choice of wall colour here really is a bit of an issue as it really dominates this painting!
The curatorial choice of wall colour here really is a bit of an issue as it really dominates this painting!
Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, Arles: January, 1889
oil on canvas
92 x 72.5 cm
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Image from today, 3rd December.
oil on canvas
92 x 72.5 cm
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Image from today, 3rd December.
Image from Monday October 28th.
'Close up' the divisions between the yellow elements are fairly clear but at any distance the definition is lost. I note that many of the paintings are best seen at 'paintbrush' distance and do not really have anywhere near the same clarity further away. 'The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles', above is certainly a case in point even if it has lost impact through pigment degradation.
Site Updated February 2026 Felix Mottram