Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background

is a painting created by Vincent van Gogh in 1889, during his stay at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. Here are some key points about this artwork:

Location and Context

Van Gogh painted this series of olive tree paintings while he was a patient at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The olive trees were a common sight around the asylum and in the surrounding countryside, which inspired many of his works during this period.

Artistic Significance

The painting features intense green olive trees set against the rolling hills of the Alpilles, a mountain range in southern France. The scene is characterized by a light-washed sky with an 'ectoplasmic' cloud, a term Van Gogh used to describe the cloud's unusual, bundled appearance.

Symbolism and Themes

For Van Gogh, olive trees represented life, the divine, and the cycle of life. The gnarled shapes of the trees reflected his own artistic and mental journey. He found comfort and strength in nature, and these paintings were a way for him to express that feeling.

Style and Technique

Van Gogh's approach to painting the olive trees involved experimenting with various colors and techniques. He was fascinated by the changing colors of the trees and the landscape, which he captured through repetitive, rectangular brush strokes that heightened the emotional impact of the work.

Relationship to Other Works

This painting is often seen as a daylight counterpart to his more famous nocturnal work, 'The Starry Night.' Van Gogh intended both paintings to show the freedom of the artist to intensify the experience of color and linear rhythms, moving beyond literal representation.

Physical Details

The painting Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background is an oil on canvas work, measuring 72.5 x 92 cm.