The artist, Vincent van Gogh, after another disappointment in trying to establish an artist colony in the south of France, settled shortly in Saint-Remy-de-Provence where he continued to paint nature and express his emotional angst and suffered the possible side effects to the chemistry of lead and ill health that came to some artists of this era. It's amazing how many of the older pigmentswere highly toxic compounds containing lead, mercury, chrome, arsenic - even cyanide.

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France

Migration, wars and population expansion brought people with their cultures and values and each affected the ecosystem in this Mediterranean climate. Romans built roads and irrigation networks. Greeks brought the cultivation of vines and olives for sustenance and commerce. In this very sunny, 300 days out of 365 days, and limestone environment a unique nature flourishes.

Plants of Provence and The Five Senses

Plants of St. Remy de Provence

The essential oils of the lavender, roses, angelica, and verbena of Provence are synonymous with essence and perfume. Herbes de Provence, the mixture of savory, fennel, thyme and lavender flowers is used in haute cuisine and the flavoring or soups and sauces.

Using the herbs of Provence

Herbes de Provence are used to flavour grilled foods such as fish and meat, as well as vegetable stews. The mixture can be added to foods before or during cooking or mixed with cooking oil prior to cooking so as to infuse the flavour into the cooked food. They are rarely added after cooking is complete.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried fennel seed
2 tablespoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoons dried thyme
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

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There is a peaceful bucolic quality that many would find beautiful and inspiring here. This is where van Gogh painted.

Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Entrance Hall of Saint-Paul Hospital Van Gogh Provence paintings

Entrance Hall of Saint-Paul Hospital (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)

Van gogh life in provence paintings st remy de provence

A Wheatfield with Cypresses, a painting inspired by the view from van Gogh's window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole mental asylum, toward the Alpilles mountains (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

We approached the painter in this photograph and asked in French, "Pouvons nous prendre votre photo, May we take your picture?" "Yes," she was from Kansas.

An artist painting in the meadow at St. Paul Hospital, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France and Vincent van Gogh

On May 8, 1889, van Gogh committed himself to the hospital at Saint Paul-de-Mausole. The hospital was a former monastery in Saint-Rémy. The monastery is located in an area of Grain fields, vineyards and olive trees. Vincent's brother, Theo, arranged for two small adjoining rooms, with barred windows. The second room was his studio.

Van Gogh Hospital, Arles, Van Gogh Provence

The garden of the hospital in Arles (Oskar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur, Switzerland)

A man playing a popular game, Petanque, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

A painting of a scene at night with 10 swirly stars, Venus,

and a bright yellow crescent Moon.
In the background there are hills, in the middle ground there is a moonlit town
with a church that has an elongated steeple, and in the foreground there is the dark green silhouette of a cypress tree and houses.

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Hats Off to Color and Form

Bear's Breeches, Acanthus mollis
The warriors headdress replicates the form of the floral inflorescence.

"Acanthus mollis, commonly known as bear’s breeches, is a clump-forming perennial that is grown as much for its attractive foliage as for its architecturally bold flower spikes. It is native to the Mediterranean region. Acanthus leaves have a classical appearance and were the source of the Corinthian leaf motif developed and used as a decoration in ancient Greek and Roman art and architecture. It is believed that the leaves of Acanthus mollis or Acanthus spinosis were the model for the sculptured leaves that adorn the capitals of the Corinthian columns that became popular in the 4th century B.C." MBG