Orchard in Blossom, Bordered by Cypresses

Van Gogh painted this orchard in blossom with flanking cypresses in the spring of 1888, shortly after arriving in Arles. He was captivated by the Provençal spring — the explosion of almond and cherry blossom against the bright southern sky was unlike anything he had seen in northern Europe, and he painted a remarkable series of orchard canvases that spring. The combination of blossoming fruit trees with the dark, flame-like form of cypresses became one of his most powerful Arlesian motifs. The Kröller-Müller Museum's version is among the finest of the series.

Van Gogh renders the blossoms in dabs and strokes of white and pale pink against the blue Provençal sky, with the dark cypresses providing strong vertical accents that frame the composition. The paint is applied with controlled energy — thicker in the blossoms, more fluid in the sky — creating a surface that vibrates with the excitement of his Arles arrival.