These French artists were among those who retreated to the Forest of Fontainebleau in order to paint the unspoiled landscape. They favoured motifs such as trees, vegetation and the play of light and shade on the foliage and the ground.

Trees, woodland and undergrowth
Van Gogh, too, worked as much as possible out of doors, in the midst of nature, invariably directing his gaze at the trees, woodland and undergrowth. He sought to depict the forest in such a way ‘that one can breathe and wander about in it — and smell the woods’.

In this summer presentation, Van Gogh’s paintings will be shown alongside those of Rousseau, Corot and other artists from the collection of the Van Gogh Museum and The Mesdag Collection. The exhibition also features several extraordinary loans: Van Gogh’s Landscape with leaning trees (1883) and Sunset at Montmajour (1888), both in private collections, alongside Pollard Birch (1885), from the Van Lanschot Collection.