The Painter on the Road to Tarascon
The Painter on the Road to Tarascon | |
---|---|
Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
Year | 1888 |
The Painter on the Road to Tarascon, also known as Painter on His Way to Work, is a 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh that is believed to have been destroyed during the Second World War during an air raid on Germany.[1]
Description
The painting depicts the artist on his way to work, and it is thought to be the first self-portrait that van Gogh painted during his time in Arles.[2] On August 13, 1888, Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo, telling him about a series of recent studies. He mentioned: “For example, there's a quick sketch I made of myself laden with boxes, sticks, a canvas, on the sunny Tarascon road."[3][4]
History
The painting was purchased by the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, Germany (now the Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg) in 1912. It was one of the first paintings by van Gogh to enter a public collection. It was photographed in color in the 1930s, an uncommon and costly practice at the time.[5][4]
During World War II, the collection of the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum was transported to a salt mine in the nearby town of Stassfurt, in order to protect it from Allied bombing. Later, in April 1945, fires broke out at the mine after American forces reached the site. While reports by Monuments Men noted that the contents of the mine had been "entirely reduced to ashes", part of the collection was recovered after the war.[5] Some believe that the fires may have been arson, in order to disguise the looting of the artworks.[4]
The painting is listed as "missing" on the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art's website.[5]
Influence
The work has influenced numerous modern artists, serving as an especially important inspiration to Francis Bacon,[6] who produced a series of painting based on The Painter on the Road to Tarascon in 1956-1957.[7][8]
See also
References
- ^ "Missing in action: artworks presumed to have been destroyed in the war". the Guardian. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- ^ Van Gogh in Arles. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1981. p. 171.
- ^ Vincent van Gogh Letter #660. To Theo van Gogh. Arles, on or about Monday, 13 August 1888.
- ^ a b c Bailey, Martin (27 November 2020). "Hunt still on for a Van Gogh self-portrait lost deep in a salt mine during the Second World War". The Art Newspaper.
- ^ a b c "Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). The Painter on the Way to Tarascon (1888)". Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Stevens, Mark; Swan, Annalyn (2021). Francis Bacon: Revelations. Knopf. p. 388.
- ^ "The Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation produces its first documentary, Bacon: the Van Gogh Sequence". Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation. 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh I. Francis Bacon". Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.
External links
- Lost Art database entry: [1]
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works
- Early works (1881–82)
- Portraits (1881–1890)
- Peasant Character Studies (1881–1885)
- Van Gogh's family in his art (1881–1888)
- Sien (1882–83)
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- Water Mill at Gennep (1884)
- Still life paintings, Netherlands (1884–85)
- Old Church Tower at Nuenen (1884–85)
- Amsterdam (1885)
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- Le Moulin de la Galette (1886)
- Still life paintings, Paris (1886–87)
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- Outskirts of Paris (1887)
- Asnières (1887)
- Seine (1887)
- Japonaiserie (1887)
- Sunflowers (1887–1889)
- Trees and Undergrowth (1887–1890)
- Copies by Vincent van Gogh (1887–1890)
- Langlois Bridge at Arles (1888)
- Saintes-Maries (1888)
- Boats du Rhône (1888)
- Décoration for the Yellow House (1888)
- The Roulin Family (1888–89)
- Hospital in Arles (1888–89)
- Flowering Orchards (1888–89)
- Almond Blossoms (1888–1890)
- Paintings of Children (1888–1890)
- The Wheat Field (1889)
- Reaper (1889)
- Olive Trees (1889)
- Wheat Fields (1889)
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- Auvers Double-squares and Squares (1890)
- Lost works by Vincent van Gogh
- Display at Les XX, 1890
- Boy Cutting Grass with a Sickle (1881)
- Meadows near Rijswijk and the Schenkweg (1882)
- The 'Laakmolen' near The Hague (1882)
- Church Pew with Worshippers (1882)
- Woman on Her Deathbed (1883)
- Landscape with Trees (1883)
- Peatery in Drenthe (1883)
- Landscape with Wheelbarrow (1883)
- Drawbridge in Nieuw-Amsterdam (1883)
- Breton Women (1888)
- Old Vineyard with Peasant Woman (1890)
- 87 Hackford Road (1873 or 1874)
- Marsh with Water Lilies (1881)
- Sorrow (1882)
- Portrait of a Man in a Top Hat (1882)
- Torso of Venus and a Landscape (1887)
- Head of a Girl (1888)
- Van Gogh Museum
- Van Gogh House (Drenthe)
- Maison Van Gogh
- Kröller-Müller Museum
- Monastery of Saint-Paul de Mausole
- Vincent van Gogh (1886 painting)
- Portrait of Vincent van Gogh (1887)
- The Painter of Sunflowers (1888 painting)
- Lust for Life (1934 novel)
- Van Gogh (1948 film)
- Lust for Life (1956 film)
- Van Gogh (1956 opera)
- Vincent and Theo van Gogh (1963 statue)
- "Vincent" (1971 song)
- Vincent (1987 film)
- Vincent & Theo (1990 film)
- Vincent and Me (1990 film)
- Dreams (1990 film)
- Vincent (1990 opera)
- Van Gogh (1991 film)
- Vincent in Brixton (2003 play)
- The Yellow House (2007 film)
- "Vincent and the Doctor" (2010 TV episode)
- Loving Vincent (2017 film)
- At Eternity's Gate (2018 film)
- Theo van Gogh
- Wil van Gogh
- Johanna van Gogh-Bonger
- Andries Bonger
- Theo van Gogh (film director)
- Anton Mauve
- Johannes Stricker
- Jacob Baart de la Faille (1928 and 1970; "F")
- Jan Hulsker (1978, revised 1989; "JH")