A Stay at Saint-Rémy

In 1889, following a mental breakdown, Vincent van Gogh entered the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, in Southern France. Though it was a thoroughly enclosed space, with barred windows, it was enough for Van Gogh to set up a studio. During his yearlong stay there (from one May to the next), he produced some of his most famous and stunning works, including Starry Night, Irises, and Wheatfield with Reaper. In fact, many historians believe Starry Night is an amalgamation of his view from his window there, his hometown, and his imagination. Even when he was too depressed to write, he put brush to canvas, giving himself an escape from his inner turmoil—and producing some of the Western world’s most enrapturing works.

Read more about Van Gogh’s stay in Saint-Rémy.