The Langlois Bridge

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Arles, March 1888

oil on canvas, 59.6 cm x 73.6 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

The sky was grey when Van Gogh painted this bridge. He worked in the open air more than once in this spot in the southern French city of Arles. Laundry was done in this canal, and linens have been laid out to bleach on the far bank. All that is missing are the washerwomen – who were included in an earlier version.

Van Gogh carefully organised his composition. He chose a place for his easel where he could paint the patch of land with the road in the foreground as a large diagonal leading into the left background. He had seen diagonals of this kind used in Japanese prints. Vincent and his brother Theo had accumulated a joint collection of these prints in Paris.

F-number

F0400

JH-number

JH1371

Object number

s0027V1962

Credits (obliged to state)

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Dimensions

59.6 cm x 73.6 cm, 77.1 cm x 91.0 cm