Les Alyscamps
Encyclopedia
Les Alyscamps is a pair of paintings ("pendants") by Dutch
painter Vincent van Gogh
. Painted in 1888 in Arles
, France
, it depicts autumnal scenes in the Alyscamps
, an ancient Roman
necropolis
in Arles which is lined with poplars and stone sarcophagi.
Van Gogh also made another pair of paintings, Falling Autumn Leaves
and Paul Gauguin made his own version of Les Alycamps.
despite predictions that it might fetch between $12 and $18 million.
joined Van Gogh in Arles in October 1888. Both were intent on depicting a "non-naturalist landscape". The paintings are of the first works that Van Gogh and Gauguin painted following Gauguin's arrival.
Van Gogh and Gauguin visited an ancient Roman necropolis , "Les Alyscamps", which had been built by the Romans outside city walls. Over time the grounds were overtaken by factories and the railroad, leaving the Allee des Tombeaux, (the avenue of tombs), a lane of shady poplar trees that led to a Romanesque chapel.
The two artists painted some identical subjects to compare their work with each other and chose the site of the Alyscamps to paint and compare. They produced several works, including this painting, Van Gogh's Falling Autumn Leaves
(Les Alyscamps) and Gauguin's Alyscamps.
paintings. Gauguin produced two paintings.
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
painter Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
. Painted in 1888 in Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, it depicts autumnal scenes in the Alyscamps
Alyscamps
The Alyscamps is a large Roman necropolis, which is a short distance outside the walls of the old town of Arles, France. It was one of the most famous necropolises of the ancient world. The name is a corruption of the Latin Elisii Campi...
, an ancient Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
in Arles which is lined with poplars and stone sarcophagi.
Van Gogh also made another pair of paintings, Falling Autumn Leaves
Falling Autumn Leaves
Fall of Leaves , or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings (in French...
and Paul Gauguin made his own version of Les Alycamps.
Auction
One of the paintings was last auctioned in November 2003, selling for $11,767,500 at an auction in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
despite predictions that it might fetch between $12 and $18 million.
Les Alyscamps
Following months of correspondence, Paul GauguinPaul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
joined Van Gogh in Arles in October 1888. Both were intent on depicting a "non-naturalist landscape". The paintings are of the first works that Van Gogh and Gauguin painted following Gauguin's arrival.
Van Gogh and Gauguin visited an ancient Roman necropolis , "Les Alyscamps", which had been built by the Romans outside city walls. Over time the grounds were overtaken by factories and the railroad, leaving the Allee des Tombeaux, (the avenue of tombs), a lane of shady poplar trees that led to a Romanesque chapel.
The two artists painted some identical subjects to compare their work with each other and chose the site of the Alyscamps to paint and compare. They produced several works, including this painting, Van Gogh's Falling Autumn Leaves
Falling Autumn Leaves
Fall of Leaves , or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings (in French...
(Les Alyscamps) and Gauguin's Alyscamps.
The paintings
The pair of paintings were made by Van Gogh and Gauguin soon after Gauguin arrived in Arles. The painting portrays an ancient Roman cemetery, "Les Alyscamps" or "Elysian Fields" which were located south east of the Roman city walls. Through careful analysis it appears that the two men worked together at Les Alyscamps between October 28 and 31, just before an onslaught of heavy rains that forced them indoors. Van Gogh painted four views, this Les Alyscamps pair and the pair of Falling Autumn LeavesFalling Autumn Leaves
Fall of Leaves , or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings (in French...
paintings. Gauguin produced two paintings.
Van Gogh's other Les Alyscamps paintings
Van Gogh made another pair of paintings at Les Alyscamps called Falling Autumn LeavesFalling Autumn Leaves
Fall of Leaves , or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings Fall of Leaves (original French title: Chûte de feuillus), or Falling Autumn Leaves is a pair of paintings (in French...
.