Le Moulin de Blute-Fin

Le Moulin de Blute-Fin refers to a series of paintings made by Vincent van Gogh in 1886. The name of these paintings comes from one of the most famous windmills in Paris.

The windmill was positioned on a raised surface and overlooked the city, and this design made it sensational. People would visit the windmill just to look down at the city from a terrace, and others were attracted to the dance hall, cafes, and bars in the building. Vincent managed to capture its essence in this series of paintings.

He started working on these paintings the same year he arrived in Paris from the Netherlands, so they still have some elements of Dutch art. Still, it is evident that he incorporated impressionism into his artwork. This was a popular style of art in Paris at the time. Vincent may have been influenced to adopt this style by artists like Paul Signac, Paul Gauguin, and Toulouse-Lautrec. He spent a lot of his time around these artists and could have adopted aspects of their art styles.

The most obvious aspect of impressionism in the Le Moulin de Blute-Fin series was the use of lighter colours and an abandonment of the sombre colours. Also, the images captured movement, which was another key aspect of impressionism art. It is worth noting that some of the images were darker and more sombre, likely as an indication of the loneliness Vincent experienced being far away from home.

The different Le Moulin de Blute-Fin paintings are currently located in various art galleries around the world. The most famous ones can be viewed at Stiftung Langmatt, Baden, Switzerland; Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands; and Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin. Some of these painting have even been purchased by private institutions and individuals and serve as personal collections.

All these paintings were done using the oil on canvas method. This painting style had been popular in Europe since the 15th century, but it was originally used in Buddhist countries. Europeans ended up adopting the method because it ensured that paintings stayed in good condition for long periods. A coat of picture varnish was applied to the paintings to prevent the accumulation of dirt or atmospheric attacks, and this made the paintings last for long. When these pictures were painted, oil painting had been improved significantly as a method of painting.

As the 1890s approached, Vincent would move to the post-impressionism forms of art, along with several other famous artists. This art form emphasised symbolic content and abstract qualities and paid less attention to the naturalistic depiction of colours. Beside Vincent van Gogh, the movement was led by Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, and Georges Seurat. Overall, this style of art was seen as an extension of impressionism and a rejection of its limitations.