“Garden of the Asylum” is a sketch created by Vincent van Gogh in 1889 while he was in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. This artwork is executed in pencil on paper and belongs to the Post-Impressionism movement. It is classified within the genre of sketches and studies and is currently housed in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The artwork depicts a tranquil garden scene dominated by a tree at its center. The tree, intricately detailed with expressive, swirling lines, showcases Van Gogh’s characteristic dynamic brushwork translated into pencil. Surrounding the tree, there is a dense arrangement of foliage and vegetation, captured with a mixture of fluid, rapid strokes and more deliberate, darker hatching, emphasizing the textures and forms of the plants. The background includes indistinct forms and structures that suggest a sense of depth and space, likely representing the asylum’s garden setting. The overall composition conveys a serene yet vivid portrayal of nature as observed by Van Gogh during his time at the asylum.
