Charles-Francois Daubigny ~ Another Poppy Field and Work by Van Gogh

Here is a larger oil of fields of poppies done by Charles-Francois Daubigny in 1874. Daubigny chose to paint Fields in the Month of June using direct sunlight as opposed to the moonlit Field of Poppies owned by the Portland Art Museum. He effectively juxtaposes brushstrokes, highlighting spots of brilliant color. He is definitely moving away from the classical polish sought by the Salon. He paved the way for Pissarro, Cezanne, Renoir and Monet, Even Van Gogh. Van Gogh was transfixed with Daubigny's house and gardens in Auvers-sur-Oise fifteen years after he had first seen Daubigny's paintings in London. Shown below is one of Van Gogh's paintings of Daubigny's home and garden. As a side note, there are at least two versions of this painting. The one shown here is the one with a black cat streaking across the canvas.


Many tourists make the trek to the Parisian suburb known as Auvers-sur-Oise. When Daubigny and Van Gogh went there it was much more rural – wheat fields and flowers. Today most tourists go Auvers to see Vincent Van Gogh's grave. However, you can also take in Daubigny's home and garden. David Downie writes in Salon of his trip to Auvers and tells of visiting with Daubigny's great great grandson at Daubigny's home. Shown below is a video taken at that home by another blogger. The last few minutes show the expansive drawing rooms with beautiful landscapes on the walls.