1888
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Arlésiennes (Mistral) is a 1888 oil by Paul Gauguin, a Impressionism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
The painting shows four women walking in a public garden. They look somber and serious. The women are set against a simple background, which makes them stand out. This painting was made during a tense time for the artist. He was staying with another painter, Vincent van Gogh, in the southern French city of Arles. Their plan to start an artist's colony didn't work out. The artist used simple colors and bold forms to depict the women. To learn more about the style and methods used in this painting, look up the technique of impasto.
During the winter of 1888, Paul Gauguin spent a troubled two months with Vincent van Gogh in the southern French city of Arles. He painted the enigmatic Arlésiennes (Mistral) during this stay. The painters’ time together was intended to be the beginning of an artist’s colony, but their relationship grew increasingly tense, and Van Gogh’s mental health deteriorated. Set directly across the street from the house they shared, the painting depicts four women somberly processing through a public garden. The space is tilted radically upward, and complex, three-dimensional forms are reduced to…
Sold by the artist to Théo van Gogh for 300 Francs probably in the first half of 1889 [according to "carnet de l'artiste," 1888-1889, see Huyghe 1952, p. 223]; Émile Schuffenecker [according to Jeanne Schuffenecker, see Wildenstein 2001]; Thannhauser Galerie, Lucerne, c. 1923, stock no. 1167 [according to Wildenstein 2001]. James W. Barney, New York, c. 1929 [according to New York 1929 exh. cat.]. De Hauke and Co., New York, 1930 [according to Providence, R. I. 1930 exh. cat.]. Jacques Seligmann and Co., New York by 1931 [according to St. Louis 1931 exh. cat.; De Hauke and Seligmann may have…
Berlin, Hugo Perls, De Delacroix à Gauguin, 1925, cat. 14. Basel, Kunsthalle, Paul Gauguin, 1848–1903, July-August 1928, cat. 39 or 44. Berlin, Galerie Thannhauser, Paul Gauguin 1848–1903, October 1928, cat. 30. New York, The Museum of Modern Art, First Loan Exhibition: Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, Van Gogh, November 1929, cat. 40. Providence, RI, Rhode Island School of Design, Modern French Art, March 11-31, 1930, cat. 14. St. Louis, The City Art Museum, An Exhibition of Paintings and Prints by the Masters of Post-Impressionism, April 4-26, 1931, cat. 15. The Art Institute of Chicago, A Century…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; French: ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
