Restaurant at Asni?res, 1887
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Oil on Canvas, 18.5 X 27 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
(Vincent van Gogh Stichting)
F 321

This is a simple composition painted in a limited range of summer colors. The green of the shutters returns in the plant-containers, and the yellow wall gives way to the yellow of the paving. There is no shade: this is the middle of the day. There is no trace of an inscription or sign, but the door – invitingly open – and also the plants and the outside table all suggest this may be a restaurant.

During the summer of 1887, Van Gogh often worked in the open air in Asni?res, a Parisian suburb lying within walking distance of his flat in Montmartre. Once there, he painted parks, cafés, restaurants and the river.