Marguerite Gachet at the Piano

Marguerite Gachet at the Piano, painted in June 1890 and now at the Kunstmuseum Basel, depicts the daughter of Dr. Paul Gachet — the physician who was caring for Van Gogh during his final weeks at Auvers-sur-Oise — at her upright piano. Marguerite Gachet became one of Van Gogh's primary subjects during his Auvers period: he painted her twice (once at the piano, once in the garden) as well as drawing her portrait. The piano subject recalls both Degas's frequent use of the instrument in his portraits and Van Gogh's own musical interests — he had described music as a consolation comparable to painting. The work was painted with great emotional investment in the weeks before his death.

The composition fills the canvas with the piano's vertical form and keyboard, against which Marguerite's white dress is set with striking clarity. Van Gogh renders the instrument with careful structural observation — the keyboard, the dark wood case, the sheet music — while treating Marguerite's figure with the expressive mark-making of his late style. His Auvers palette is vivid: the deep green of the wallpaper, the white of the dress, the warm wood tones of the piano. The vertical format suits the subject, giving the piano and figure equal architectural dignity.