Avenue in the Park 1888

Vincent van Gogh painted this oil on canvas, "Avenue in the Park," which captures a park scene. The dominant impression is one of dappled sunlight and shade, achieved through broken brushstrokes of green and yellow. The composition draws you in along a winding path, bordered by trees and figures in the distance. Van Gogh manipulates the formal elements to convey more than just a visual scene. His use of short, energetic strokes builds up the surface and creates a sense of movement, almost as if the park itself is alive and breathing. The contrast between the light-filled path and the darker masses of trees evokes a sense of depth, yet also hints at underlying tensions. Note how the artist uses color not just to represent nature, but to express its emotional and symbolic weight. These techniques serve to destabilize traditional landscape painting, instead engaging with new modes of perception and representation.