Artwork Title: Thatched Cottages

Thatched Cottages, 1890

Vincent van Gogh

May, 1890. Van Gogh repeated the motif of peasant huts on many occasions: "In my opinion, the most marvelous of all that I know in the sphere of architecture is huts with their roofs of moss-grown straw and a smoky hearth," wrote van Gogh in one of his letters. The thatched roofs seem to be just as much an organic part of nature as the hills, fields and sky. The hilly relief of the distance allowed the artist to accentuate the dynamics of space, which he reinforced through the use of color contrasts. The tense, wavy brushstrokes and lines convey the artist's perception of life and the world. Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, Auvers-sur-Oise, 21 May 1890 [letter 636]: "... when I wrote to you, I had not yet made anything. Now I have one study of old thatched roofs with a field of peas in flower in the foreground and wheat, background of hills. A study which I think you will like. And I already feel that it did me good... (http://www.tfsimon.com/auvers-sur-oise.html)
24 x 29 in
Uploaded on Apr 4, 2017 by Suzan Hamer

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