The Church at Auvers on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''The Church at Auvers'' is an oil painting created by
''The Church at Auvers'' is an oil painting created by Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
in June 1890 which now hangs in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, France.
The actual church is in Place de l'Eglise, Auvers-sur-Oise, France, north-west of Paris.
History
''The Church at Auvers'' — along with other canvases such as ''The Town Hall at Auvers
''The Town Hall at Auvers'' is a painting by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Wester ...
'' and several drawings of small houses with thatched roofs — is reminiscent of scenes from his Nuenen period. A certain nostalgia for the north had already been apparent in his last weeks in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (; Provençal Occitan: ''Sant Romieg de Provença'' in classical and ''Sant Roumié de Prouvènço'' in Mistralian norms) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. L ...
: in a letter written a couple of weeks before his departure, he wrote "While I was ill I nevertheless did some little canvases from memory which you will see later, memories of the North."
He specifically refers to similar work done back at Nuenen
Nuenen () is a town in the municipality of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten in the Netherlands. From 1883 to 1885, Vincent van Gogh lived and worked in Nuenen. In 1944, the town was a battle scene during Operation Market Garden. The local dialect i ...
when he describes this painting in a letter to his sister Wilhelmina on 5 June 1890:
The "simple deep blue" was also used in '' Portrait of Adeline Ravoux'', painted in the same short period in Auvers-sur-Oise.
The foreground of ''The Church at Auvers'' is brightly lit by the sun, but the church itself sits in its own shadow, and "neither reflects nor emanates any light of its own." After Van Gogh had been dismissed from the evangelical career he had hoped to continue in the Borinage, Belgium, he wrote to his brother Theo from Cuesmes in July 1880, and quoted Shakespeare's image from '' Henry IV, Part 1'' of the dark emptiness inside a church to symbolize "empty and unenlightened preaching": "Their God is like the God of Shakespeare's drunken Falstaff, 'the inside of a church'"
The motif of diverging paths also appears in his painting ''Wheat Field with Crows
''Wheatfield with Crows'' ( nl, Korenveld met kraaien) is a July 1890 painting by Vincent van Gogh. It has been cited by several critics as one of his greatest works.
It is commonly stated that this was van Gogh's final painting because Vincen ...
.''
In popular culture
''The Church at Auvers'' plays a prominent role in "Vincent and the Doctor
"Vincent and the Doctor" is the tenth episode of the fifth series of British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', first broadcast on BBC One on 5 June 2010. It was written by Richard Curtis and directed by Jonny Campbell and featu ...
", a 2010 episode of the British science-fiction television programme '' Doctor Who'', although the scenes at the church were filmed at Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Pet ...
in Wales.
See also
* List of works by Vincent van GoghNotes and references
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Church at Auvers, The Church at Auvers, The Church at Auvers, The Church at Auvers, The Paintings of Auvers-sur-Oise by Vincent van Gogh Churches in art