Study with spruce in the fall

Van Gogh made this study of spruce trees at Saint-Rémy in autumn 1889, one of many close landscape studies of the asylum's garden and surrounding terrain. The specific character of a spruce in fall — its resilient needle coverage contrasted with the seasonal change around it — provided him with visual material that also carried emotional resonance: the spruce's evergreen endurance amid the dying season. Van Gogh's nature studies at Saint-Rémy are remarkable for the quality of attention they sustain despite the difficult personal circumstances of their making. The Kröller-Müller holds this as part of its comprehensive Van Gogh collection.

The spruce is rendered with intense observation of its needle structure and conical form, Van Gogh's brushwork following the tree's growth directions with characteristic purpose. The palette captures the dark green of spruce needles against the autumnal surroundings. Paint is applied with varying thickness, densest in the tree itself.