Van Gogh | Le pont de Trinquetaille in Arles, October, 1888

Vincent Van Gogh made some drawings and paintings of the Trinquetaille bridge:

"I have a view of the Rhone - the Iron Bridge of Trinquetaille, where the sky and the river are absinthe-colored, the quays of a lilac tone, the characters blackish, the iron bridge of an intense blue".

To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 12 May 1888

I'm writing you another few lines to tell you that I've been to see the gentleman whom the Arab Jew in Tartarin calls "the shustish of the beace".

I still got 12 francs back and my host was reprimanded for keeping my trunk; as I wasn't refusing to pay, he had no right to hold it. If they'd found in favour of the other party, that would have done me harm, because he wouldn't have failed to go around saying that I had not been able or not been willing to pay him, and that he'd been forced to take my trunk.

Whereas now - because I left at the same time as him - he said as we went that he'd been angry but hadn't really wished to insult me.

But that's just what he was trying to do, probably seeing that I had seen enough of his shack - and that he couldn't make me stay - he'd have gone to tell tales where I am at the moment.

All right. If I'd wanted to get the actual reduction, I'd probably have claimed more in damages, for example. If I let myself be annoyed by just anybody I'd soon not know where to turn, you understand.

I've found a better restaurant where I eat for 1 franc.

My health's been better these days.

Now I have two new studies like this:

You already have a drawing of it, a farmhouse beside the wide road in the wheatfields.

A meadow full of very yellow buttercups, a ditch with iris plants with green leaves, with purple flowers, the town in the background, some grey willow trees - a strip of blue sky.

If they don't mow the meadow I'd like to do this study again, because the subject matter was really beautiful and I had trouble finding the composition. A little town surrounded by countryside entirely covered in yellow and purple flowers. That would really be a Japanese dream, you know.

Having asked the price for sending the consignment that went off by goods train, it will be 7 francs at the station in Paris. As I don't have very much left I didn't put postage on it here - but if they asked more you'd have to complain. The crate is marked UV and W1042.

We've had the mistral again yesterday and today. I hope my consignment arrives before Tersteeg comes to Paris.

Handshake, write to me soon.

Ever yours,

Vincent

"Il Pont de Trinquetaille", a volte chiamato "L'Escalier du pont de Trinquetaille", è un dipinto di Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) realizzato nell'ottobre 1888 durante il suo soggiorno ad Arles

Come altri artisti legati al movimento impressionista, come Sisley, Monet, Turner, Pissarro, Caillebotte o Cézanne, Van Gogh è sensibile agli elementi della vita quotidiana e ai suoi nuovi ambienti urbani.

Van Gogh dipinse questo ponte per la seconda volta; conosciamo un'altra rappresentazione di quest'opera. Si tratta di un olio su tela (65 × 81 cm), detto anche Le Pont de Trinquetaille o Le Pont à Trinquetaille che l'artista realizzo pochi mesi prima a Giugno 1888, ma la vista è leggermente diversa.

Vincent van Gogh | Le pont de Trinquetaille, June, 1888

Rappresenta il ponte visto da monte e nella sua interezza.

Il quadro dipinto in ottobre è uno dei lavori eseguiti da Van Gogh per decorare la sua casa di Arles, come spiega al fratello Theo, con uno schizzo, nella sua lettera del 12 ottobre 1888.