A Provence walking holiday – an impressionist’s dream
A famous 19th century painter, Vincent Van Gogh is known throughout the world for his oil paintings, but did you know that this artist lived for a few years in Provence and has become something of a regional treasure?
Van Gogh was a Dutch painter, born in 1853 in La Haye and very quickly became associated with the artistic world, and more particularly with painting. He began work alongside his uncle at Goupil & Co, an international art trading firm based in La Haye, and then in branches in London and later, Paris. However, the future artist began to bore of the art business and returned to Holland to study theology with the aim of becoming a preacher. But this was not to be as his political beliefs led him to abandon this religious path.
A few years later, in 1880, Vincent Van Gogh decided to become a painter. Originally self-taught, he did eventually attend art school and showed particular interest in oil paints, naturalism and impressionism. In Paris, at a time when Van Gogh was feeling at his best, he met fellow artists Gauguin and Pissaro.
Van Gogh’s Provence
In 1888, Van Gogh moved to Arles and focused his attention on the beauty of the Provençal landscapes. It is thought that during his time here, he produced around 200 paintings and 100 drawings. Provence, it seems, was a real source of inspiration for him.
He lived in the “yellow house” (which was also the name of one of his paintings and can be admired today on your Provence walking tour!) and was joined by the famous artist Gauguin. Together they began to work on a series of artwork but after a while, the two men began to disagree on each other’s work methods and tempers flared. After one too many disputes, Van Gogh cut off part of his ear in a moment of folly.
The following year, he decided to seek help at an asylum close to St Rémy de Provence. One week after his arrival at the monastery-come-asylum in St Paul de Mausole, he was allowed to paint and his room became his new studio where he produced a series of masterpieces including “Irises”, “Olive Trees” and “Starry Night”. But his deteriorating mental health got the better of him and following a series of hallucinations and other health problems, Van Gogh committed suicide in 1889, aged 36.
A self-guided Provence walking holiday in Van Gogh’s footsteps
There are many places to visit when walking Provence that pay tribute to the artist, such as the Yellow House and the café/bar “Van Gogh” in Arles, the abbey in St Paul de Mausole and the Estrine museum in St Rémy de Provence. The year 2019 was also the year in which the Carrières de Lumières in Les Baux de Provence dedicated its digital light show to the works of the artist. So popular has the show been, that it has been prolonged until January 5th, 2020. Finally, in St Rémy de Provence, you can take the Van Gogh walking trail, waymarked with representations of his paintings and retrace the history of the painter.
