Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890) · Early 1887

This painting dates from the winter of 1887, roughly a year after Vincent van Gogh arrived in Paris to join his brother, the art dealer Theo van Gogh. It is one of a group of landscapes featuring the Butte Montmartre, a short climb from the apartment on the rue Lepic where Vincent and Theo lived. Montmartre was dotted with reminders of its quickly receding rural past—abandoned quarries, kitchen gardens, and three surviving windmills, including the Moulin de Blute-Fin. The nonfunctional mill had become a tourist attraction, affording spectacular panoramic views over Paris from the observation tower erected beside it.

Artist

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890)

Date

Early 1887

Medium

Oil on canvas, mounted on pressboard

Dimensions

43.6 × 33 cm (17 1/8 × 13 in.); Framed: 61 × 50.8 × 7 cm (24 × 20 × 2 3/4 in.)

Credit

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection

Open-access artwork courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago. Mooseium is not affiliated with or endorsed by this institution.