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Artist in Paris
Vincent went to Paris in 1886 and stayed there for two years. He was by no means the only artist to go to the French capital in the 19th century. What made Paris such an attractive place for artists, and why was Vincent so eager to go there?
Paris is Paris, there is but one Paris and however hard living may be here ... the French air clears up the brain and does one good
To Horace Mann Livens, from Paris, September or October 1886
Paris had a great deal to offer artists: valuable training, opportunities to exhibit and sell their work and an inspiring artistic community. Vincent hoped to benefit from this setting and grow as an artist.
Eugène Delacroix, Apollo Slays Python, 1850, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Almost as soon as Vincent arrived in the city, he visited the Louvre. Art works by all the great masters were on display there. Vincent was especially impressed by the work of Eugène Delacroix and Rembrandt van Rijn.
He also saw a ceiling painting by Delacroix. This is a study for that painting.
ToTheo, from Parijs, 28 February 1886
Vincent's arrival in Paris was unexpected. His brother Theo thought he would arrive a few months later. Vincent scribbled this brief note to let Theo know he was there.
'My dear Theo, Don’t be cross with me that I’ve come all of a sudden.'
Vincent moved in with his brother Theo. After a few months they moved to Rue Lepic, at the foot of the hill of Montmartre. There Vincent found a small studio where he could work in peace.
In Vincent's day the district of Montmartre was on the outskirts of the city and still partly undeveloped. It was an inexpensive place to live, in very picturesque surroundings with windmills and vegetable gardens. Vincent painted many scenes in the area.
View of the butte of Montmartre and the Maquis, c. 1890
Kees van Dongen to Chris Addicks, from Paris, 6 December 1900. Fondation Custodia, Frits Lugt Collection, Paris.
In the late 19th century, Montmartre was the most popular Paris district among artists. Its vibrant nightlife and picturesque streets were a rich source of artistic inspiration.
In this letter, Dutch artist Kees van Dongen made a sketch of the studio he found in Montmartre.
What is to be gained is PROGRESS and, what the deuce, it is to be found here.
To Horace Mann Livens, from Paris, September or October 1886
Soon after arriving in Paris, Vincent began taking drawing lessons in Fernand Cormon's private studio. There he practiced drawing from living, and sometimes nude, models.
During his time there, he also painted picturesque landscapes and flower still lifes. He hoped that those subjects would sell well.
In the studio of the successful painter Fernand Cormon, Vincent learned how to depict the human body more skilfully. This drawing is one of the studies that Vincent made in Cormon's studio.<br> <br> George Hendrik Breitner, an old friend from The Hague, had studied with Cormon a few years earlier.
Ary Scheffer, Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta Viewed by Dante and Virgil, 1854, Hamburger Kunsthalle
Lessons in a private studio were not the only form of artistic training available. The renowned École des Beaux-Arts offered a traditional and fairly conservative art education.
The successful Dutch artist Ary Scheffer had studied there in the early 19th century. Scheffer was one of Vincent's role models.
Ary Scheffer, Self-portrait at the Age of 43, 1838, Dordrecht Museum
Boussod, Valadon & Cie, Place de L’Opéra, Parijs
Theo worked for Boussod, Valadon & Cie, a firm of art dealers. Vincent urged his brother to promote his work in the art gallery, but this proved unsuccessful. Vincent's work was too different from the styles then in fashion.
Vincent paid frequent visits to museums, exhibitions and galleries for inspiration. There he became familiar both with old master paintings and with modern artists such as the Impressionists.
At first, he was not very impressed with the work of these pioneering artists.
Johan Barthold Jongkind, View of the Notre Dame de Paris, 1852, Petit Palais, Paris
The Impressionists looked up to the Dutch artist Johan Barthold Jongkind as an inspiring example. His impressively realistic cloud-filled skies and magnificent views of the Seine made a deep impression on artists like Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley.
From that moment on, he [Jongkind] became my true master. It is to him that I owe the final education of my eye.
Claude Monet on Jongkind
Claude Monet, View of the Tuileries Gardens, Paris (study), 1876, Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris
By the time Vincent arrived in Paris, Impressionists like Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro had already become successful. Their vivid use of colour and loose style of painting had a strong influence on other artists.
People have heard of the Impressionists, they have great expectations of them... and when they see them for the first time they’re bitterly, bitterly disappointed.
To Willemien van Gogh, from Arles between 16 and 20 July 1888.
It took Vincent a year after coming to Paris before he began to experiment with the ideas of the Impressionists.
He painted new subjects, such as city scenes, and practiced the Impressionists' loose brushstrokes and light colour palette. His artistic work evolved at a dizzying pace.
This sweeping view of the vegetable gardens of Montmartre clearly illustrates how Vincent's work became increasingly modern in style.
He began to use bright colours, and in some places he left the white ground layer uncovered. His aim was to render the light on the vegetable gardens as vividly as possible.
In Paris, Vincent became good friends with a number of promising young artists. One of them was Émile Bernard. Through Bernard, Vincent met Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. And not long afterwards, he also became friends with Paul Signac. They discussed ideas and inspired each other.
Vincent was always looking for chances to exhibit his art. He hoped that then he could sell it. He put his work on show in cafés and galleries run by his friends.
Even so, he never sold a single painting throughout his time in Paris, aside from a couple of works he sold to art dealers for low prices.
François Auguste Biard, Four O’Clock in the Afternoon at the Salon, Musée du Louvre, Paris
In the late 19th century, there were many opportunities for artists to exhibit their paintings. Early in the century, the situation had been quite different. The Salon was then the most important place for artists to put their work on display.
Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer, A Baptism in the Directoire Period, 1878, private collection.
One Dutch artist who succeeded in selling his work was Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer. In 1865, the Goupil art gallery invited him to Paris to make art that suited the tastes of wealthy buyers. His sentimental historical scenes were hugely popular.
Jacob Maris, The Painter Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer at Work in Oosterbeek, c. 1863 Dordrecht Museum
[You have managed to] create for us a circle of artists and friends, something which I’m utterly incapable of doing by myself and which you, however, have more or less created since you’ve been in France.
Theo to Vincent, from Paris, 27 October 1888
Vincent was not the only artist to benefit from his time in Paris. Many other Dutch artists also found new inspiration there. Their stay in the French capital changed their work and their ideas in a lasting way.
Nicolas Antoine Taunay, Portrait of Gerard van Spaendonck, c. 1814, Het Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch
Gerard van Spaendonck was an early Dutch visitor to Paris; he went there in 1769. His flower still lifes were incredibly popular. After a few years, Van Spaendonck was granted the title of court painter. He also received an appointment as a botanical draughtsman.
He used his influential position to advance the careers of young artists.
Gerard van Spaendonck, Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, 1781, Het Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch
Piet Mondrian, Self-Portrait, 1918, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
As soon as Mondrian arrived in Paris in 1911, he was impressed: 'Being here will do me a lot of good. Everything is so large and grand, isn't it?’
He was especially fascinated by the work of Cubists like Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. He experimented with their new insights. As a result, his work became increasingly abstract.
Piet Mondrian, Painting no. II/Composition no. XV/Composition 4, 1913, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
George Hendrik Breitner, Self-Portrait with Cigarette, 1882, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
In 1884, George Hendrik Breitner spent six months in Paris. There he hoped to learn more about the technical aspects of an artist's work. He took inspiration from the streets of Paris and the Impressionist art in the galleries.
After returning to the Netherlands, Breitner painted a series of ballet dancers and nudes.
George Hendrik Breitner, The Model Gathering Her Clothes, 1888, private collection
The two years that Vincent spent in Paris were crucial to his development. His work became more modern, and he earned a modest place in French avant-garde circles.
Paris eventually gave him what he was looking for: artistic progress.
I gained an understanding of how it’s a hotbed of ideas, and how the people try to get everything out of life that could possibly be in it.
To Willemien van Gogh, from Arles, between 16 and 20 June 1888
