Gazing into the distance
View from Theo's apartment
Van Gogh drew and painted the view from his house several times. In his pencil sketch, he used a horizontal format. But that drew too much attention to the block of flats in the right foreground. So he decided to use a vertical format for the painting. This includes just the narrow edge of the building, which leads into the distance.
The second time he painted this view, he made even more room for the horizon. As a result, your gaze is drawn further into the distance, which brings out the view to best effect.
Letter from Theo van Gogh to Caroline van Stockum-Haanebeek, 10 July 1887
The unusual thing about our appartment is that there is a beautiful view of the city through the windows. In front are the hills of Meudon, St Cloud and so on. Above that is a patch of sky almost as large as when you're on a dune. With the different effects of variations in the sky, it's a subject for I-don't-know-how-many paintings.
Letter from Theo van Gogh to Caroline van Stockum-Haanebeek, 10 July 1887
