A Still-Lived House by Vincent van Gogh is a painting made in January 1885, when Van Gogh was twenty-three. It is one of many paintings he made as part of a project to document his own house and garden.
A Still-Lived House depicts the parlour of Van Gogh’s house. It is an unornamented space: a table stands near the center, and another chair near the window. The artist has taken care to show the perspective of the room accurately: the windows at the back are smaller than those at the front, and they are aligned not quite with each other but with their neighbors, so that the bottom pane of glass in each window is visible. The ceiling is white, and painted just above it is a decorative pattern consisting of small blue flowers on a yellow background.
Van Gogh painted A Still-Lived House quickly, recording one stage after another in his usual methodical fashion—light green walls were first outlined in pencil, then painted with two coats of paint; white was applied to all walls, including those behind furniture; the floor was then covered in red paint; the table and chairs were painted brown. The brushwork is thick–the whole thing took three days to complete–
A house is more than just a place to live. It is a reflection of the people who live there and the world they live in. But it also reflects the person who paints it. Vincent Van Gogh painted several versions of this house, so we can see how he evolved as an artist as well as how he felt about his home.
The original painting was first sold by Van Gogh in 1887 and titled “Vue de l’asile et de la Chapelle Saint-Paul à Saint-Rémy.” The painting was sold again and titled “La maison du Docteur Gachet” after the doctor who bought it from him. The painting was left to his son by will, and so it is now called “La maison du Docteur Gachet” or “A Still-Lived House.”
It was painted during Van Gogh’s time at the asylum, where he had time to focus on his art as well as his mental health. He lived in the asylum for two years after having a breakdown that began with an argument with fellow painter Paul Gauguin and culminated in him cutting off part of his ear and presenting it to a prostitute. While he painted many paintings during this period, this one shows how he
If you are interested in the lives of artists, particularly artists that have had interesting lives, you will love Diane Burrowes’ blog on Vincent Van Gogh. She is a terrific writer and she has a broad range of topics with a special interest in his life and work. Her blog is updated regularly and she has many pages devoted to other artists as well. You will be sorry if you miss it.
Tara Ziemba/Getty Images for National Geographic
Still-Lived House (1890) by Vincent van Gogh at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands
I stumbled across Diane’s blog when I was looking for information about this painting of “Still-Lived House” by Van Gogh. I had seen the painting before, but never made the connection that it was painted when Van Gogh was voluntarily committed to an asylum.
The Kröller-Müller Museum website says: “Vincent van Gogh painted this work shortly after he started his voluntary stay at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy de Provence in May 1889.” The painting was done on one of his characteristic thickly textured canvasses using bold colors with thick brush
The current version of the painting has been painted over several times, which is why it appears as if there are two paintings. The first layer was painted shortly after Van Gogh arrived in Arles, and depicts a view of the garden in the back of the house. This is followed by a second layer depicting a hill with cypresses, then a third layer depicting ivy, and finally the fence and blank canvas which make up the final composition.
The painting is a posthumous tribute to his brother, who died in 1885. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) painted this piece two years after the death of his brother, Theo. The painting is unusual for Van Gogh because he created it almost entirely with a palette knife, rather than with brushes.
Van Gogh House is the name of a building in Arles, France where the artist lived with his brother and sister-in-law. In 1888, Vincent van Gogh moved into this house with his brother, Theo. They took lodgers in order to be able to afford the rent.
Van Gogh painted numerous paintings of this house and its garden, as well as the neighboring areas and the sky above both the town and the fields. The Van Gogh Museum has collected over 200 of these paintings, which are displayed in their collection room called “Van Gogh’s Room”.
The museum’s collection includes two of van Gogh’s very first paintings: The Potato Eaters and The Old Church Tower at Nuenen. Both were painted in 1885, when he was only 26 years old.
The artist was an avid reader of the Bible and he saw the painting as a sort of modern-day parable. He used the painting to explore his own spiritual struggle.
The painting itself is fascinating. The house is on fire and the light from the fire is throwing deep, ominous shadows on the walls of the house. But there are two windows with light coming out of them – one at either end of the house. Both windows give a feeling of hope and comfort that seem to contradict what we know about fire. Both windows appear to have curtains at them and yet the curtains don’t seem to be burning.
What’s even more interesting are the two chimneys in the picture. One is being held up by a beam that seems to be falling apart and that appears to be close to collapse. The other chimney is solid as a rock and it has birds building their nests on top of it.
