Van Gogh in

Leurseweg

Vincent was very fond of the Leurseweg (or the Leursestraatje, now Stationsstraat and Baai) and considered it beautiful. In October 1881, he wrote his friend Anthon van Rappard:

“You know what’s absolutely beautiful these days, the road to the station and to Leur with the old pollard willows, you have a sepia of it yourself. I can’t tell you how beautiful those trees are now. Made around 7 large studies of several of the trunks..” Read the complete letter

It is unknown which studies Vincent was referring to in this letter. However, there are a number of works that depict willows on the Leurseweg, such as Road in Etten which must have been made on the present-day Baai and Road with a man and pollard willows situated at the present-day Stationsstraat.

Even though Vincent mainly occupied himself with drawing from models after July 1881, he also spent time working on landscapes:

“I feel more and more as time goes on that figure drawing in particular is good, that it also works indirectly to the good of landscape drawing. If one draws a pollard willow as though it were a living being, which it actually is, then the surroundings follow more or less naturally, if only one has focused all one’s attention on that one tree and hasn’t rested until there was some life in it.” Read the complete letter