What made it difficult for Van Gogh to paint the Alpilles?

The Mistral wind made it very difficult to paint the The Chaîne des Alpilles: a small range of low mountains in Provence. “..it’s enjoyable to work in really wild sites where you have to bury your easel in the stones so that the wind doesn’t send everything flying to the ground."

Today 132 years ago, on or about 24 December 1889,

Vincent van Gogh wrote to his mother from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence:

"At the moment I’m working on a painting of a path between the mountains and a small stream that works its way between the stones. The rocks are solid lilac grey or pink, with bushes here and there: box and a sort of broom, that have all sorts of colours, green, yellow, red, brown, because of the autumn. And the stream in the foreground white and foaming like soapsuds, and further up reflecting the blue of the sky.

Now I wish you a happy Christmas and a good New Year. Embraced in thought by Your loving, Vincent”

The Ravine, (Les Peiroulets)
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 1889
Oil on canvas
73,2 x 93,3 cm
Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands

You may also like to read:

• Did the mistral wind bother Van Gogh?

Van Gogh's 'The Ravine, (Les Peiroulets)'

<< previous | next >>