Van Gogh made six forest paintings in Asnières, near Paris. He wrote to his brother Theo that the forest gave him a sense of calm away from the bustling city. In this painting, he uses a stippling effect similar to that used in “Riverbank with Trees” that we looked at a couple of days ago, but the effect is very different. The color is richer and deeper. His brushwork gives the effect of sunlight filtering down through the tree canopy, flickering along the yellow path that draws the eye into the forest beyond. His color usage and application again reference the work of Seurat and Signac as he carefully positions hues to create an optical illusion – the colors are blended in the viewers’ eyes rather than on the artist’s palette to depict depth and dimension. There is no visible sky to distract from the peaceful stroll through the woods. The umber of the vertical tree trunks gives structure to the blues, greens and yellows of his vision.
April's theme: Van Gogh's Trees (Arbor Day 4/24)
VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853 – 1890), “Path in the Woods”, May – July 1887. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
#arthistory #art #VanGogh #Trees
