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View of Arles, 1889
The bare trunks of three poplars, cropped by the edges of the canvas, form a foreground screen through which the more distant skyline of Arles and its flowering orchards can be seen. Van Gogh must have hoped his inventive combination of daring geometry and rich surface texture would impress other artists. He sent the picture to two high-profile, avant-garde exhibitions in early 1890: the Salon des Indépendants in Paris and Les XX in Brussels.
Oil on canvas
Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen — Neue Pinakothek, Munich