Road Running Beside the Paris Ramparts 1887

Vincent van Gogh rendered ‘Road Running Beside the Paris Ramparts’ in 1887, using watercolor and gouache on paper. Painted during his time in Paris, this work reflects Van Gogh's evolving artistic sensibilities. He arrived in the French capital to join his brother Theo, who managed an art gallery, and the painting marks a period of experimentation. It came at a time when he was absorbing Impressionist and Post-Impressionist influences while grappling with his own artistic identity. Here, Van Gogh captures a slice of Parisian life, yet the muted tones and somewhat somber atmosphere hint at his internal struggles. The road, stretching into the distance, can be seen as a metaphor for his own journey, filled with uncertainty and the search for belonging. "It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done" he once wrote, and it can be argued that this painting embodies that very sentiment, capturing the blend of love and the melancholy he felt during this transformative period. While the subject is a public space, there is an emotional intimacy that invites us to reflect on the intersection of personal experience and the broader societal landscape of 19th-century Paris.