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Image

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  • RISDM 42-212a.tif
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  • RISDM 42-212a frame verso.tif
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Vincent van Gogh

View of Arles

Description

Maker

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)

Title

View of Arles

Year

1888

Medium

  • Reed pen and ink and wash over graphite on paper

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Reed pen and ink and wash over graphite on paper

Materials

ink

Supports

  • wove paper

Dimensions

43.2 x 54.6 cm (17 x 21 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed at LL: Vue d'Arles/Vincent.

Marks: Watermark: J. Whatman

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth

Object Number

42.212A

Type

  • Drawings and Watercolors

Provenance

1888-1889, gift of the artist to Theo van Gogh, Paris. According to letter dated May 7, 1888.

1889-1891, collection of Theo van Gogh, Paris.

1891, by inheritance, to his son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, as part of his collection, administered by his widow, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, 1891.

1906, sold by Johanna van Gogh-Bonger to Paul Cassirer, Berlin, 12/2016.

1906, sold by Paul Cassirer to Hermann Freudenberg, Berlin, 12/1906.

1906-at least 1921..., collection of Hermann Freudenberg, Berlin.

...1921-1934..., collection of Jacques Seligmann, New York. According to list sent by

by 1934, purchased by Mrs. Murray S. Danforth from Cesar M. de Hauke at Jacques Seligmann, New York.

1942, gift to RISD Museum by Mrs. Murray S. Danforth, 9/1942.

Projects & Publications

Publications

Pub_ID 312 A Handbook of the Museum of Art v_01.jpg
  • Books

A Handbook of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

Read Online ›
Pub_ID 922 Exchange Exhibition Exhibition Exchange_back v_01.jpg
  • Books

Exchange Exhibition, Exhibition Exchange: From the Collection of Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University; From the Collection of The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence.

Read Online ›
Pub_ID 878 French Watercolor and Drawing v_01.jpg
  • Books

Selection V: French Watercolors and Drawings, ca. 1800-1910

French watercolors and drawings from the Museum's collection, ca. 1800-1910

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Pub_ID 1805 Selected Works v_01.jpg
  • Books

Selected Works

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Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Inventing Impressionism
Oct 21, 2016 – Jun 11, 2017

Label copy

Vincent van Gogh drew this meadow using a pen he cut from a reed that grew there. This simple handmade drawing tool allowed him to produce the variety of dots and lines seen on this sheet.

Despite his skillful rendering, the artist admitted in a letter to his brother, Theo, that he found the size of the paper and scope of the composition challenging. He used a perspective frame-a rectangular construction of his own design, crossed by strings-to help plan his study. The framing lines he drew based on this device are still visible along the top margin of the sheet and in a faint rectangle around the composition.

From Dürer to Van Gogh
Gifts from Eliza Greene Radeke and Helen Metcalf Danforth
Jun 05, 2008 – Oct 26, 2008

Label copy

Executed with his distinctive reed pen, View of Arles is one ofthe first drawings in van Gogh’s body of work for which he utilized an overall dot pattern, a technique that intimates the scintillating color combinations and expressive handling ofhis paint. This sheet functioned both as a preparatory study and a finished composition for the art market. After drafting a perspective box in graphite, Van Gogh drew the central composition outdoors on site. This composition later became the basis for an oil study. Back in his studio, van Gogh finished the drawing for sale in Paris by adding irises in the foreground with an ink-laden pen, as well as a title and signature.

Drawing the Line
Mar 30, 2001 – Jun 10, 2001

Label copy

Vincent van Gogh's landscape is built primarily, though not exclusively, of vertical marks varying in size, breadth, and tonality. In the foreground, irises are described with a heavy application of ink with a brush. Many marks, though, are made with a reed pen, recognizable by the split in their center. The marks defining the field become smaller and lighter toward the center of the picture, giving the illusion of distance. In the background, the buildings of Arles are carefully detailed in sharp contrast to the sketchier description of the rest of the picture. Most marks are isolated so that they vibrate against the light of the paper surrounding them. Their repetition creates pulsating, rhythmic patterns that suggest color and even sound.

Japonisme
The Influence of Japanese Art on the West
Nov 04, 1994 – Jan 22, 1995
Helen M. Danforth
A Tribute
Jun 21, 1985 – Sep 08, 1985
  • More Exhibition Hitory +

Use & Feedback

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)
View of Arles, 1888
Reed pen and ink and wash over graphite on paper
43.2 x 54.6 cm (17 x 21 1/2 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth 42.212A

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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