Auvers-sur-Oise

Today we took a train from Gare du Nord to Auvers-sur-Oise, a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris,  27.2 km from the centre of the city. It is associated with several famous artists, the most prominent being Vincent van Gogh. During the 19th century, a number of painters lived and worked in Auvers-sur-Oise, including Paul Cézanne, Charles-François Daubigny, Camille Pissarro, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and, of course, Vincent van Gogh.  In a park in the centre of the town stands a statue of Van Gogh.  It doesn't look a bit like Kirk Douglas!

Statue of Van Gogh

Dr. Paul Gachet, who lived in Auvers-sur-Oise, was acquainted with the avant-garde artists of the time. Through this connection, Vincent van Gogh moved to Auvers to be treated by him, though he considered the doctor to be in a worse state than himself. Gachet befriended Van Gogh and was the subject of two portraits, one of which,  was sold at auction for over US$80m in 1990.

Van Gogh stayed at the Auberge Ravoux, where he paid 3 francs and 50 centimes to rent an attic room measuring 75 square feet. In the final 70 days of his life, he painted approximately 70 oils among which are many of his finest works.

The Auberge Ravoux in the 1880s

The Auberge Ravoux today

On 27 July 1890, aged 37 and suffering from severe depression, he walked into a field and shot himself in the chest with a revolver.  He survived the impact and managed to walk back to the Ravoux Inn where he died two days later. Theo rushed to be at his side and reported his brother's last words as "La tristesse durera toujours" (the sadness will last forever).   The room on the upper floor of the Auberge Ravoux where he died has been preserved, although no furniture remains. Auvers-sur-Oise is the final resting place of both Vincent and his brother Theo van Gogh, who died six months later.

As one walks to the graves of the brothers, the path takes you past the church which features in one of Van Gogh's best known paintings.

The Painting of the Church

The Church today

The Van Gogh Graves

looking back from the cemetery,  the fields which in season are yellow with wheat are reminders of how Van Gogh captured the essence of life in his paintings.

The Wheat Fields