Trees and Undergrowth 1887

Here we see Vincent van Gogh's study of Trees and Undergrowth, painted with oils on canvas. The composition is dense, dominated by vertical lines of trees which create a screen across the picture plane. Flecks of green and brown pigment suggest dappled light filtering through the canopy. The overall effect is one of immersion within a verdant, almost claustrophobic space. Van Gogh's mark-making is highly expressive. Notice how short, thick brushstrokes build up the forms. This technique, typical of post-impressionism, moves away from illusionistic representation towards a more tactile, material approach to painting. We might see a connection here to structuralist ideas about language. Each stroke functions like a sign, contributing to an overall structure which conveys meaning not through direct imitation but through its own internal logic. Consider also the flattened perspective, which disrupts traditional notions of depth. This foregrounds the painting’s surface, reminding us that we are looking at an arrangement of pigment on canvas. The painting challenges viewers to consider the artwork as a constructed system of signs and meanings.