Vincent Van Gogh - Houses at Auvers (23.5 in x 31.5 in)

Artistic and Historical Context

• Location and Inspiration: Van Gogh painted this shortly after moving from the south of France to Auvers-sur-Oise, a small town northwest of Paris. He was drawn to the "picturesque" quality of the village, particularly its traditional thatched roofs which were becoming rare at the time.

  Composition: The work depicts a cluster of homes in the hamlet of Chaponval. Van Gogh utilized an elevated viewpoint to create a flattened, tapestry-like effect where the tiled and thatched roofs form a vibrant, patchwork pattern of color.

  Style: It is considered a Post-Impressionist masterpiece that reflects Van Gogh's "reminiscences of the North," characterized by a return to Dutch-inspired subjects like mossy-roofed cottages.

• Public Reception: In a 2014 public vote organized by the MFA Boston, Houses at Auvers was voted as the city's favorite Impressionist/Post-Impressionist painting, even surpassing works by Claude Monet.