Entrance to the Public Garden in Arles

Artistic improvements and commentary courtesy of Wimsey Bloodhound

Entrance to the Public Garden in Arles (Vincent Van Gogh, 1888, The Phillips Collection, Washington DC). Here we see Van Gogh’s strong sense of line coupled with his mesmerizingly rhythmic brush strokes as he attempts to capture the strong light and blazing heat of southern France. The use of line and the arrangement of trees also shows the influence of Japanese art that was prevalent in the period. We note with pleasure that this is another painting in which van Gogh use the complimentary colors of blue and yellow to marvelous effect. Van Gogh painted fifteen paintings of this garden and this one is thought to be the one opposite his beloved little yellow house. But we notice a wonderful wide and open path that appears to be largely unused by any of Van Gogh’s volumetric figures. See how much more realistic the scene becomes as a large active Hound tracks some juicy animal into the gardens just like I do in Central Park! (“Entrance to Wimsey’s Garden’s in Arles”).