Pine trees in the garden of the asylum

Autumn effects
Since Van Gogh has been staying at the asylum, ‘the neglected garden planted with tall pines under which grows tall and badly tended grass’ has already provided him many motifs. ‘It’s just a question (…) of putting in some style’, he writes to his brother. In the autumn, his favourite season, he makes several studies in the garden.

High vantage point
In this work, Van Gogh takes a high vantage point and concentrates on the crowns of the autumnal trees with their crooked branches, contrasting darkly against a light sky. He frames the image on both sides with tree trunks that are cropped abruptly above and below.

Interplay of lines
The tree trunks, rendered in long vertical and diagonal brushstrokes, contrast with the lively brushwork he uses for the branches and foliage, and with the horizontal interplay of lines in the fore and middle ground. The wall around the asylum and a lone walker can be seen in the background.