Van Gogh

Pollard willows at sunset (Arles, 1888)

The pollard willows in the evening sun’s red glow reflect Van Gogh’s mood in the autumn of 1888. After a long summer of non-stop painting in isolation, he felt exhausted and lonely.

Pollard willows were a much loved subject for the artist who grew up in rural Brabant (NL). They were pre-eminently suitable for graphic representation in the style of the Japanese prints he loved so much. In October 1881 he wrote to his brother Theo: “When you draw a pollard willow as if it were a living being, which in fact it actually is, then its surroundings come almost of their own accord as long as you have concentrated all your attention on that specific tree and have not rested until it came somewhat to life”.