The Flowering Orchard, 1888
Vincent van Gogh

This painting belongs to a series of fourteen blossoming orchards that Van Gogh painted in spring 1888, shortly after his arrival in Arles, the town in the south of France where he worked from February 1888 until May 1889.
The present example, which includes a scythe and rake, is one of only two orchards that allude to human presence or labor.
The motif and Van Gogh''''''''s stylized treatment are related to Japanese prints.