All packed up with canvas, paint and other supplies, Van Gogh headed out. He preferred to paint outdoors, surrounded by nature.
Van Gogh in detail
Painted outdoors or indoors?
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Vincent van Gogh, The Painter on His Way to Work, 1888. Lost in the Second World War.
Vincent wrote to his sister Willemien: ‘[I] am always dusty, always more laden like a porcupine with sticks, easel, canvas, and other merchandise’.
Vincent couldn’t always go outdoors, so he also painted inside, in his studio. He sometimes started a work outdoors, and finished it inside.
Can you tell whether a landscape is painted outdoors or indoors?
Microscoop detail van insectenspoor, uit: Vincent van Gogh, Olijfgaard, juli 1889. Collectie: Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo.
Grains of sand, seeds and even little insects were found in some paintings. So we know for sure that Van Gogh made these works outdoors.
It’s more difficult to know for certain with other paintings. Join us to discover the difference between outdoors and indoors: