36
The Trinquetaille Bridge, 1888
At Arles, a modern bridge crossed the Rhône to connect the old town with the new Trinquetaille quarter. As in The Stevedores (35), Van Gogh explores the expressive potential he could achieve using an observed, modern-life subject. The plunging perspective and exaggerated colours, including the river and sky being ‘the colour of absinthe’, had a specific aim that he outlined in a letter to his brother: ‘I’m attempting something more heartbroken and therefore more heartbreaking.’
Oil on canvas
Courtesy of Wynn Fine Art