The Plain of Auvers

As if after a downpour, a narrow strip of greeny-blue sky hangs over the plain at Auvers. The landscape seems to be absorbing this color. Although red and orange flowers still blaze in the foreground, toward the horizon the shades gradually merge into a uniform array of hues. A sense of depth and the high horizon evoke the wide expanse of the scene while the rolling countryside is captured in turbulent brushwork. Van Gogh spent the last two months of his life here at Auvers-sur-Oise. After his brother Theo sent him some long-awaited canvases and paints, Vincent was swept into a creative frenzy, making dozens of pictures such as this work. The painter died soon after its completion.