Montmartre; behind the Moulin de la Galette

Montmartre: Behind the Moulin de la Galette, painted in 1887 during Vincent van Gogh’s Paris period, captures a quiet, rustic corner of the rapidly changing Montmartre district. The scene shows vegetable gardens, fences, and footpaths tucked behind the iconic windmill, with touches of greenery and soft light evoking a rural atmosphere on the edge of the modern city.

Using a lighter palette and looser brushwork influenced by Impressionism, Van Gogh depicts the tension between urban development and pastoral charm. This work reflects his fascination with everyday life and his affection for the vanishing simplicity of old Montmartre. It is both a record of place and a poetic tribute to a landscape in transition.