The Prison Courtyard

Creation and Inspiration

The painting was created while Van Gogh was a patient at the Saint-Paul Asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It was inspired by an 1872 engraving by Gustave Doré, specifically the exercise yard at Newgate Prison in London, which was featured in Doré's book 'London: A Pilgrimage'.

Technique and Style

Van Gogh did not copy Doré's print directly but instead worked from a woodblock reproduction by Héliodore Pisan, published in the Dutch magazine 'De Katholieke Illustratie'. He added his own color interpretation to the black and white print, resulting in a painting dominated by depressing tones of blue and green, with splashes of red on the better-lit bricks and two small white butterflies.

Composition

The painting depicts a group of prisoners walking in a circle around a claustrophobic prison yard, surrounded by high brick walls with small arched windows. The scene includes detectives observing the prisoners to remember their faces. One prisoner at the front, possibly resembling Van Gogh himself, looks out at the viewer. This composition reflects Van Gogh's own feelings of physical and mental confinement during his time at the asylum.

Significance and Context

This painting was created during a particularly troubled period in Van Gogh's life, marked by severe depression and mental illness. The work symbolizes his psychological isolation and the cyclic nature of his mental health struggles. It was one of the paintings displayed around his coffin before his funeral in July 1890.

Current Location

The original oil painting is held by the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia. It was part of Ivan Morozov's collection before being nationalized by the Soviet government and eventually transferred to the Pushkin Museum in 1948.

Legacy

The painting has had a significant impact on art and culture. It inspired a scene in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film 'A Clockwork Orange' and continues to be a powerful representation of the themes of confinement, mental health, and the human condition.