In the last 70 days of his life, Van Gogh produced 74 paintings and 33 drawings! A huge burst of productivity before he sadly put an end to his life.
The current exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris is the first devoted to this period in his life, spent at Auvers-sur-Oise, which was the home of Dr Gachet, his friend, mentor and supporter—a man who specialized in the treatment of melancholia but was also a lover and connoisseur of art, friend to the Impressionists and a collector and amateur artist. There he could also be closer to his brother Theo, an art dealer.
From May 20 1890 to July 29th, in a frenzied artistic renewal, he painted one or two canvases per day, mostly “alla prima”, using thick pigment directly on the canvas.
In the drawings, he interestingly mixes oil and aquarelle, and sometimes other media, such as graphite and wash.
Luminous landscapes, portraits and still lifes.
Pure colours, and sheer boldness which delivers a huge emotional impact.
The exhibition is well worth the effort, because although not large, almost every painting is a masterpiece—the artist in full maturity and control of his expression.
The highlight, however, of a very special show, was the room with 11 paintings in the rare ‘double square’ format.
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Letters from Athens 
Thank you. A lot of these I’d never seen before.
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Fascinating and totally new to me ! Thank you so much for sharing !!
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They’re wonderful.
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I never realised how prolific he was…
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One of my favourite artists in one of my favourite galleries. Thank you for sharing. I shared on my Facebook page.
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Thanks for taking us to the exhibit. The paintings are wonderful and I found myself staring at them for minutes at a time. I love Van Gogh’s vision, his colors and his subjects.
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Thank you for sharing your walk through the museum. I love that you took such close shots of the paintings. I can see the brush strokes and tiny bits of canvas. Rainy Day is my favorite.
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not meant to be anonymous, lol.
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Thanks so much for sharing these, Marina – they’re gorgeous! It must have been such a joy to see them in the flesh. I went back to London’s Courtauld Gallery recently to spend some time looking at their permanent collection. They have a couple of Van Gogh’s paintings, including Peach Trees in Blossom from 1889.
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This is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing this collection. I had no idea his final paintings were done in such a short time. Starry Night will forever hang in my classroom and be an inspiration for children.
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Some of my favorite paintings of his are from 1888, but several of these are now in my favorites. Thank you for sharing these!
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These are a delight to see. I would love to see them in real life at the Musée d’Orsay. I love that place.
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This is a beautiful post. I just watched a PBS special on Van Gogh, a sad tortured soul who poured his heart out in his art.
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I know. At least he had an outlet…
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So exceptional!! My favourite.
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