 Auvers-sur-Oise
Thirty kilometres north west of Paris is the tranquil village of Auvers-sur-Oise, situated in the valley of the river Oise.
The village attracted many impressionists including Pisarro and Daubigny who were inspired by the scenery and surroundings of Auvers. Van Gogh also went to live there in 1890 and spent his last days in Auvers. It was there that he painted an amazing seventy canvases in seventy days, including some of his greatest works and it was there that the grief-stricken artist died at the age of thirty-seven. In the village's small cemetery lies the simple grave of Vincent Van Gogh.
The simplicity and rural charms of the village remain largely unspoilt and it is an alluring place to visit. Many of the buildings like the 12th-century church or the streets and squares were painted by Van Gogh or by his contemporaries. The visitor can also go into his lodgings in the Auberge Ravoux, the village inn, or see the house of his patron, Dr. Gachet. The village is still home to a budding artistic community. The French government subsidises studios to keep Auvers and its countryside at the very heart of modern artists' work.
Links
Auvers-sur-Oise
In French and English, an inspiring history of the village. There are also many references to the painters who stayed at Auvers.
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