1884 -1888 · Dutch water and Parisian wind

From the water mills of Gennep and Opwetten to the wings of Blute-Fin and Galette, Van Gogh moves from a productive mechanism to an urban and social landmark.

Before Paris, Van Gogh painted several water mills in Brabant and Limburg. In Gennep, wheel, building, dam and current give the composition a logic of force: water is channeled to produce. The Opwetten mill combines bricks, roofs and vegetation in a dense rural structure. In Montmartre, the operation and context change. The Blute-Fin stands on a hill already surrounded by gardens, terraces and buildings. The Moulin de la Galette belongs as much to the history of the wind as to the culture of balls and leisure. Van Gogh multiplies his points of view, clarifies his palette and uses the wings as large diagonals. The mill thus becomes a machine, a monument of neighborhood and a composition tool. The "Moulins de Van Gogh" selection notably compares Water Mill in Gennep and Water Mill in Opwetten. Its reading favors color.

Water turns the Dutch mill; in Montmartre, it is above all the wings that make the eye turn.