A new
watercolor print in my etsy shop reflecting my visit to the town of
Auvers-sur-Oise last Saturday. Friends have been urging me to go for ages. Finally metro posters beckoned. It's just a 38-minute direct train ride (on the weekends upstairs at
Gare du Nord from platform 36 with the Transilien line). And what a perfect town to paint. No wonder
Pissarro, Corot, Cezanne, Daumier, Daubigny and of course
Van Gogh immersed themselves here.
The Iris
fete, 'L'amour au Jardin'was going on as well at
Chateau d'Avers.
While the others headed off to the local tourist office i took the higher road
Up to the church famously painted by Van Gogh (pronounced Van Gog here by the way). There are no original paintings in
Auvers, but 19 posters with captions help you recognize the sites he painted.
No crows flying on Saturday either as in Van gogh's last painting, but the open, waving wheat fields easily make you feel you've stepped into his painting. There was a touching (bi-lingual) letter at the cemetary written by an attendee at Van Gogh's funeral recounting his last days.
I can't honestly say I wasn't the biggest fan of Van Gogh though I've always loved his ink drawings in his letters to his brother, Theo, but visiting Auvers changed my point of view.
The undulating rooftops, green hilly lawns, bushy plane trees make it easier to see what Van Gogh saw and felt.
The town wasn't at all crowded with too many tourists on such a beautiful day.
'watch out for the cat' says it all.
Wonderfully colored iris line the town's curving lanes.
Van Gogh painted bunches of iris in gardens and in a white pitcher. He stayed in
Auvers the last 70 days of his life and made a painting every single day.
Auberge Ravoux was his residence at 3,50 fr a day.
It's been carefully preserved.
Absolutely nothing remains of any of Van Gogh's possessions in his room yet it's a poignant experience to visit. You watch a short video of his life before entering his room.
Somehow I resisted the stunning auberge napkins and tablecloth.
But I would have killed for this extraordinary combo egg cup/coffee cup, but not for sale.
Off to the chateau for the garden
soiree..
Why didn't I buy this little VG figurine? I missed visiting
Dr Gachet's house and the Absinth museum.
The next day i was perfectly prepared to visit the two Van Gogh rooms at the musee d'Orsay(70,71).
And you will be too. Visiting the town of Avuers-sue-Oise
Is the perfect introduction to learning to love van Gogh if you aren't already a fan.
I have quite a few maps of Auvers to send out with the watercolor print if you're so inclined.
Don't miss this town either way if you're coming to Paris!! Heaveny.