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Vincent van Gogh | Garden with Courting Couples, 1887

by Explore the Masters: , , , ,
Van Gogh called this sunny park scene 'the painting of the garden with lovers'.
Couples in love are strolling under the young chestnut trees and sitting along the winding paths.


Essential Facts:

Title: Garden with Courting Couples: Square Saint-Pierre
Date: Paris, May 1887
Artist: Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 75.0 cm x 113.0 cm
Current location: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)


He used a free variation on the technique of the Pointillists.
They built up their compositions from dots of paint.
Van Gogh instead applied small brushstrokes of varying length in different directions.

This helped him to create the effect of a radiant spring day, which fit the sense of intimacy and togetherness he wished to express.
He too longed for a wife and a family, but he had 'the most impossible love affairs'.
He eventually resigned himself to the situation; he was devoted to his art.


"Garden with Courting Couples" shows a Parisian park in springtime, with meandering paths, blossoming chestnut trees and couples out walking beneath a radiant sky.
Vincent only used loose brushstrokes for this painting, just like the Pointillists.
They were the latest generation of artists, and Vincent had already seen their work at a number of exhibitions.
This painting, of which Van Gogh was clearly proud, was his way of showing that he was also part of this new generation.



"Giardino con coppie in corteggiamento: Square Saint-Pierre" - Questa soleggiata vista sul parco è una delle tele più grandi che Vincent van Gogh abbia mai realizzato a Parigi.
Ispirato dai punti usati dai puntinisti, Van Gogh utilizzò invece piccole strisce di vernice sciolte.

Ha applicato la vernice in diverse direzioni e spessori, per cui ogni elemento - l'aria, la vegetazione e le figure - acquisisce una sua particolare consistenza.
Ciò lo ha aiutato a creare l'effetto di una radiosa giornata primaverile, che si adattava al senso di intimità ed unione che desiderava esprimere.
Lo stesso Van Gogh chiamò quest'opera "Il giardino degli amanti".