Van Gogh and Auvers-Sur-Oise I

I love to go on day trips near Paris and had a wonderful opportunity a few weeks ago to go on a delightful one. I went with my friends Thirza, Michele from Chicago, Hayden, and Inka from Bolivia to Auvers-Sur-Oise, a charming village about an hour from Paris by RER train. Auvers-Sur-Oise is where Van Gogh lived for about 2 months before he died. After leaving the asylum in St. Remy in May 1890, he moved to Auvers-Sur-Oise and was cared for by Dr. Paul Gachet, who treated Pisarro and other painters with mental disorders. He went to Paris for one day before he left for Auvers-Sur-Oise but the chaos of the city overwhelmed him so much, he left immediately.When Van Gogh told Dr. Gachet about his mental ailments, he told him to channel it into his paintings. Van Gogh took his advice soundly, and painted over 70 paintings in a span of less than 80 days. He lodged in a tiny room in the Auberge Ravoux, paying 3 francs and 50 centimes a night. After setting out to paint with his oils and canvases on the afternoon of July 27th, he returned to the village that evening with a self-inflicted bullet lodged in his chest. Dr. Gachet and another doctor frantically tried to save him but neither had the capability to perform surgery and left Van Gogh in his room while he peacefully smoked his pipe. Theo arrived the next day and found his brother in surprisingly good condition despite the wound, but he deteriorated quickly and died 29 hours after he shot himself from the infection from the wound. His last words were "The sadness will last forever". Van Gogh was buried in the municipal cemetery on July 30, 1890. His brother Theo died shortly after on January 25, 1891.They are buried beside each other.

I have had excellent weather karma on my recent day trips and was blessed once again with a sparkling, sunny day with temperatures in the high 70s/low 80s. We arrived at the tourist office which is in the complex where Auberge Ravoux still stands and watched a short, moving, and informative film about Van Gogh and his time in Auvers-Sur-Oise. After, we toured the hilly backstreets of the charming and luscious green village, hitting the land mark spots such as the famous church Van Gogh painted, the cemetery where he and Theo are buried, and Dr. Gachet's house.

The small cemetery is on the top of a hill and the tombstones of Vincent and Theo next to one another were simple and white against some beautiful end of summer flowers and greenery. We were touched by a woman who meticulously cleaned and planted some flowers for a deceased loved one, perhaps her husband, who had died six years before and her demeanor signified her love for this person.

Statue by Ossip Zadkine

 

Even though the Auberge Ravoux looked perfectly restored, it was too sanitized and you had to enter the mundane gift shop to see Van Gogh's room, which was anticlimactic. The tiny room was painted somber colors and had bright light but I was disappointed I could not take photos.

Our last stop was Dr. Gachet's house, which was about a 20 minute walk from the center of the village, on a quiet lane. The beige stone house with light blue shutters was modest, but the setting was stunning with gobs of green trees and ivy, perched on a hill overlooking the town. We ran out of time to see the Absinthe museum.

It was a terrific, fun filled, and informative day and I highly recommend Auvers-Sur-Oise for a short excursion from Paris. The only drawback was the restaurant at Auberge Ravoux was quite expensive even though the food looked good, and there didn't seem to be any other good restaurants in town, as we ended up eating in a crummy cafe with crappy salads and crepes, just a step up from fast food. Perhaps packing a picnic lunch would be best. I would plan on a 6 to 8 hours including transportation time.

Directions: Take the RER C from Gare d’Austerlitz or Gard du Nord, toward Pontoise. Get off at St-Ouens L’Aumone (approx. 1hr.). Switch to the Persan Beaumont Creil line (walk downstairs and change to opposite platform; consult screen for departures) and get off at Gare d’Auvers-sur-Oise (approx. 15min.). €10 round-trip.

Below are images of the church.

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Comments

[Marilyn Byrd]

Richard,

This was a great post. And a great idea for a day trip, then next time we are in Paris.

[Teresa]

This is another place I love. Just walking through the wheat fields and visiting all these places where Vincent lived and painted filled me with awe. Ah, to be able to hop on a train and be there in an hour. But, thanks to you, I went there this morning! Merci!

[kim]

This is great information on one of my favorite artists. I am disappointed in myself that in all the times I have visited Paris that I had no idea this was so close by train. I am keeping this so I can manage to go next time!

[Cheryl]

Auvers-sur-Oise has been on my to-to list for a long time and I've just never made it. Looks like I'll be heading out there next time---March, I hope.