1887
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Dominant colour
Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy (Asnières) is a 1887 oil by Vincent van Gogh, a Impressionism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
You see a bright riverbank under a pale blue sky, dotted with tiny boats and a red bridge in the distance. Van Gogh painted this spot with his friend Paul Signac, who used a method called divisionism—tiny dots of pure color that blend in your eye. Van Gogh borrowed the idea but kept his own swirling brushstrokes. The colors feel alive, even though the scene is quiet. Look up impasto to see how thick paint can make light dance.
The setting of this work is the river Seine at the Clichy Bridge near Asnières, a suburb north of Paris where Vincent van Gogh painted on several occasions with his friend and fellow artist Paul Signac . Van Gogh was inspired by Signac and Georges Seurat , both of whose work is on view nearby. Their technique, called divisionism, used science-based theories of color, which they applied in individual strokes to maximize luminosity. Although Van Gogh was only in Paris working among these artists for about two years, their influence can be seen here in his use of small brushstrokes of pure,…
The artist’s sister-in-law, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (died 1925), Amsterdam [this and the following according to records in van Gogh Bonger’s account book, reproduced in Stolwijk and Veenenbos 2000, 47 no. 12/7, 142–43]; probably sent to Ambroise Vollard, Paris, Nov. 1896. Cornelis Hoogendijk (died 1911), The Hague, Netherlands, by 1906; by descent to his sister, Maria Ida Adriana (Riet) van Blaaderen-Hoogendijk (died 1942), Amsterdam, 1911 [Venice 1938]; by descent to her son, Tom van Blaaderen, Laren, 1942 [this and the following according to Wisselingh Stock Book, no. 6858, Rijksbureau voor…
Possibly on loan to Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1927. Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Vincent van Gogh en zijn tijdgenooten, Sep. 6-Nov. 2, 1930, cat. 29. Venice, Palazzo dell'Esposizione, Ventunesima esposizione biennale internazionale d'arte, 1938 - 1939, cat. 14. New York, Metropolitan Art Museum, Vincent van Gogh paintings and drawings. A special loan exhibition, Oct. 21, 1949 - Jan. 15, 1950, cat. 96; Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 1 - Apr. 16, 1950. New Zealand, Auckland City Art Gallery, Van Gogh in Auckland, Aug.–Sep., 1975, cat 5. Toyko, National Museum of Western Art, Masterpieces of…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.
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