Vincent van Gogh, 1853 - 1890, Dutch
Corner of the Asylum and Garden, 1889
Folkwang Museum, Essen
A.K.G., Berlin
SuperStock

In a letter to Emile Bernard, van Gogh described this painting as a "view of the asylum where I am staying...high trees stand out against an evening sky with violet stripes on a yellow ground, which higher up turns into pink, into green...the nearest tree is an enormous trunk, struck by lightning and sawed off..." Van Gogh continues by comparing the lightning-struck tree to a proud but defeated man.