“Windmills at Dordrecht,” an artwork created by Vincent van Gogh in 1881, is an oil painting on canvas that belongs to the Realism art movement. The artwork, which is a landscape genre piece, has dimensions of 26 x 60.5 cm and is currently located at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.
The artwork depicts a serene yet evocative Dutch landscape, characterized by an arrangement of windmills scattered along the horizon. Set against a brooding sky, the composition is dominated by earthy tones that convey the raw and unembellished beauty of the countryside. At the forefront, a simple wooden fence gate stands ajar, perhaps suggesting an invitation to enter and explore the pastoral scene it guards. The windmills, with their distinct, towering silhouettes, serve as the focal points of the artwork, symbolizing both the industrious spirit and the picturesque charm of the Netherlands. Van Gogh’s meticulous brushwork and keen eye for detail are evident in the textural rendition of the fields and distant structures, making the artwork a vivid representation of rural life in the late 19th century.
