The Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital

Vincent van Gogh, a famous post-impressionist, is well known for his numerous unmatched works of art. He used colours as his symbol of expression. One of his most popular and finest pieces of art is The Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital, also known as the fall of the leaves, which he painted in 1889.

This oil on canvas painting depicts a typical hospital garden. It has a group of trees with tall bear trunks coupled with dense crowns. Additionally, it has some aspects of falling leaves blown by the wind (hence the name leaf-fall) and a lonely wanderer. From his high viewpoint from his hospital room, he drew the tree trunks to appear as cut off on both sides dividing the art vertically into two.

The painting has an autumn theme; thus, the name leaf-fall. The falling leaves blown by the wind, the lone walker, and the varying shades of green and brown all depict the summer season. He made this artwork as an expression of how he felt. For example, the lone walker signified the loneliness he felt after being confined in the hospital for months.

Vincent van Gogh made this painting during his stay in Saint Paul's Hospital. It is located in Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Rémy, a collection of all the paintings he made during his stay here. Though he was confined to the Asylum walls, he still found inspiration for his paintings from the surrounding nature.

Other than this famous Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital painting, he also made other paintings during this time. The paintings include: Olive Trees (Van Gogh series): While in the Asylum where he stayed between May 1889 to May 1890, he made at least 15 paintings on olive trees. A group of his olive tree paintings from May 1889 depicted life; the divine cycle of life. Again in November the same year, he made a painting expressing his feelings about Christ in Gethsemane. Irises painting: He started painting Irises within the first week of admission in the Asylum. This painting was inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints and other works from artists of that time. This painting is full of life.

Who Inspired Vincent van Gogh - During a visit to Paris in 1886, Van Gogh was impressed by Paris artists' Impressionism and Post-impressionism. Some of the artists who inspired him were Pissarro, Bernard, Gauguin and Monet. He learnt from them the art of using bright and vibrant colours. This adoption gave his paintings a new twist. Vincent van Gogh left a legacy through his paintings that will be passed from generation to generation for years.