Vincent van Gogh is known all over the world. Did you know that in 1883, Van Gogh lived in Drenthe for three months? On the recommendation of artist friends, Van Gogh came to Drenthe. He was inspired by the original landscape and peat workers of Drenthe. This was a short, but important period in his life. It was here that he developed his passion for painting.
Today there is a garden whe…
Vincent van Gogh is known all over the world. Did you know that in 1883, Van Gogh lived in Drenthe for three months? On the recommendation of artist friends, Van Gogh came to Drenthe. He was inspired by the original landscape and peat workers of Drenthe. This was a short, but important period in his life. It was here that he developed his passion for painting.
Today there is a garden where once, from the 15th century until 1952, the Nicolas church stood. The church was demolished because it had become to small for the congregation. Only the former churchyard was preserved.
On the site of the church and part of the churchyard, the Van Gogh Experience Garden was created in 2022. It is nice to see that the shapes of the flower beds follow the outlines of the plan of the old church.
The Van Gogh Experience Garden was laid out here because of the strong likelihood that Van Gogh painted this church in the painting ‘Landscape at dusk’ of which the whereabouts are unknown. The Nicolas church of Schoonebeek and the church tower of the St Boniface church in Nieuw-Schoonebeek can probably be seen in the painting.
According to a recent theory, however, the landscape was not painted at dusk but at dawn, and Van Gogh made the painting in the surroundings of villa ‘La Paix’ in Nieuw-Amsterdam. This ties in with the sunrise and the mist above the Bargerbeek. In the garden, in the right season, many flowers can be seen that Van Gogh painted and drew quite often, such as sun flowers, blue irises, cornflowers, poppies and fruit trees.
