Street Scene in Montmartre

Van Gogh's Street Scene in Montmartre (1887) belongs to his Paris period — two years of intense artistic development during which he transformed from the dark Nuenen palette to brilliant Impressionist-influenced color. Montmartre, where Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo, was at this moment one of the most artistically fertile neighborhoods in the world: the Impressionists had worked there, the new cabarets were opening, and the windmills of the Butte still stood among market gardens and modest housing. His street scenes document this transitional neighborhood at the moment of its transformation from village to urban district.

The Paris period street scenes show Van Gogh's color palette brightening dramatically under Impressionist influence. Montmartre's specific character — the mix of rural remnants (windmills, gardens) and urban development — provides compositional variety. His brushwork in these scenes is more varied and experimental than the dense Nuenen strokes: shorter marks, color placed next to color rather than blended, exploring the optical mixing principles he absorbed from Impressionist study. The palette is significantly lighter than anything from his Dutch period.