''The Painter on the Road to Tarascon'', also known as ''Painter on His Way to Work'', is a 1888 painting by
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...
that is believed to have been destroyed during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
during an air raid on Germany.
Description
The painting depicts the artist on his way to work, and it is thought to be the first self-portrait that van Gogh painted during his time in
Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
. On August 13, 1888, Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother
Theo
Theo is a given name and a hypocorism.
Greek origin
Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example:
*Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...
, telling him about a series of recent studies. He mentioned: “For example, there's a quick sketch I made of myself laden with boxes, sticks, a canvas, on the sunny
Tarascon
Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tarasc ...
road."
History
The painting was purchased by the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, Germany (now the
Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg
The Kulturhistorische Museum Magdeburg ''(KHM)'' is a museum in Magdeburg for Cultural History. It was originally founded in 1906 as an art-historically oriented ''Kaiser-Friedrich Museum''. The museum focuses on the history of the city in perman ...
) in 1912. It was one of the first paintings by van Gogh to enter a public collection. It was photographed in color in the 1930s, an uncommon and costly practice at the time.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the collection of the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum was transported to a salt mine in the nearby town of
Stassfurt, in order to protect it from
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
bombing. Later, in April 1945, fires broke out at the mine after American forces reached the site. While reports by
Monuments Men
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
noted that the contents of the mine had been "entirely reduced to ashes", part of the collection was recovered after the war.
[ Some believe that the fires may have been arson, in order to disguise the looting of the artworks.]Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art
The Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art is an American IRS approved 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which honors the legacy of those who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program during and after World War ...
's website.[
]
Influence
The work has influenced numerous modern artists, serving as an especially important inspiration to Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
, who produced a series of painting based on ''The Painter on the Road to Tarascon'' in 1956-1957.
See also
*List of works by Vincent van Gogh
List of works by Vincent van Gogh is an incomplete list of paintings and other works by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. The listing is ordered by year and then by catalogue number. While more accurate dating of Van Gogh's work is often difficu ...
*Nazi looting of artworks by Vincent van Gogh
Many priceless artworks by the Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh were looted by Nazis during 1933–1945, mostly from Jewish collectors forced into exile or murdered.
Some of these works have disappeared into private collections, ...
References
External links
* Lost Art database entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Painter On The Road To Tarascon
Lost paintings
1888 paintings
Paintings by Vincent van Gogh
Paintings about painting
Paintings of people
Self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh
Art theft and looting during World War II