Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy (Asnières)

The setting of this work is the river Seine at the Clichy Bridge near Asnières, a suburb north of Paris where Vincent van Gogh painted on several occasions with his friend and fellow artist Paul Signac. Van Gogh was inspired by Signac and Georges Seurat, both of whose work is on view nearby. Their technique, called divisionism, used science-based theories of color, which they applied in individual strokes to maximize luminosity. Although Van Gogh was only in Paris working among these artists for about two years, their influence can be seen here in his use of small brushstrokes of pure, brilliant color that combine to create the effect of light reflecting off the various surfaces represented in the composition.