Wooden Sheds

Van Gogh's painting of the wooden sheds at Saint-Rémy in 1889 is characteristic of his democratic approach to subject matter: the utilitarian outbuildings of the asylum estate given exactly the same sustained attention as the picturesque subjects his contemporaries preferred. He had always insisted that the humble and functional were as worthy of serious art as the conventionally beautiful, and the asylum sheds — their rough construction, weathered timber, functional simplicity — presented visual qualities worth exploring. The specific color of old weathered wood — the complex grays and browns that aged timber acquires — was a subject Cézanne had explored in his studies of Provençal farm buildings, and Van Gogh was aware of Cézanne's work through Theo's gallery contacts. His own treatment of the weathered structures brings his Saint-Rémy technique — the swirling, energetic brushwork — to subjects that might seem to demand a more prosaic approach, the result being buildings that vibrate with the same organic energy as his trees and fields. The private collection or unlocated status of this work means it is known primarily through its entry in the catalogue raisonné, but it deserves attention as one of the most honest expressions of Van Gogh's refusal to distinguish between worthy and unworthy subjects.

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.