1886 -1888 · vegetable gardens, quarry and changing town

Before Arles, Van Gogh discovered a hybrid territory in Montmartre: market gardens, quarry, tavern and new streets coexist on a hill which became his Parisian laboratory.

Van Gogh lived in Paris with his brother Theo from 1886 to 1888 and frequently painted Montmartre. The neighborhood is not yet fully urbanized. The vegetable gardens show fences, cultivated plots and mills under an open sky, far from the uniquely festive image of the mound. The stone quarry reveals exploited soil and a transforming relief. La Guinguette introduces signs, tables and popular sociability, while a street scene in Montmartre records facades, palisades and traffic. In contact with the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists, Van Gogh clarified his palette and fragmented his touch. Montmartre thus becomes less of a monument than a visual construction site where countryside, industry and leisure competes for space. The "Montmartre by Van Gogh" selection notably compares the vegetable gardens of Montmartre and the hill of Montmartre with the stone quarry. His reading favors the story.

Van Gogh's Montmartre is precious because it is not yet a postcard: he hesitates between vegetable garden, quarry, mill and street.