Van Gogh in

Asnières

After Vincent arrived in Paris in February 1886, he worked mostly in and around his own neighbourhood of Montmartre but this changed in the spring of 1887. From then on, he frequently went to paint and draw in Asnières, a village on the banks of the Seine six kilometres north of Paris that was a popular spot for day trips from the city. There was a train service to Asnières, but Vincent always walked both ways. Paul Signac, whose family lived in the village, recalled:

“…We painted along the waterfront; we ate in the café and returned to Paris on foot, along the avenues of Saint-Ouen and of Clichy. Van Gogh, dressed in a plumber’s blue smock, had added tiny dots of paint to his sleeves. Walking close beside me, he shouted and gesticulated, waving his large, still-wet Size 30[72 x 93 cm]canvas [72 x 93 cm]: and with it he polychromed himself and the passers-by.” (source: Van Gogh and Montmartre, p. 21)

Lucien Pissarro, the son of the painter Camille Pissarro, once encountered Vincent as he was walking back from Asnières:

“…and he absolutely wanted my father to see his studies – in order to do succeed, he placed them against the wall in the street, to the astonishment of passers-by.” (source: Van Gogh and Montmartre, p. 21)

Asnières was also popular with other artists, such as Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet. One of Vincent’s best friends, Émile Bernard, lived in the village, and he often worked in Bernard’s garden studio. Vincent produced around 30 paintings and drawings in Asnières; their subjects included views of the Seine, bridges, parks, restaurants and factories.