Wooden Sheds

Van Gogh's Wooden Sheds from 1889, painted at Saint-Rémy, focuses on the utilitarian outbuildings of the asylum estate with the same careful observation he brought to more conventionally picturesque subjects. The wooden sheds — their rough construction, weathered timber, and functional unpretentiousness — were for Van Gogh as worthy of sustained attention as orchards or wheat fields. This democratic approach to subject matter — finding equal visual interest in the beautiful and the functional — was fundamental to his artistic philosophy. The work is currently in a private collection or unlocated.

The wooden structures are rendered with attention to the texture and color of weathered timber — grays and browns, the specific quality of sunlight on old wood. Van Gogh's composition organizes the sheds' angular forms against the surrounding landscape. His brushwork distinguishes the wooden surfaces from the vegetation and sky beyond.