The landscapes in which Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) lived had a profound influence on him and his art. In his encounters with nature, the restless artist attained a harmony and balance that was otherwise denied him. At the same time, he discovered his own completely unique artistic vocabulary and hence a radically new type of freedom in art.This elegant, full-color volume is the first to provide a comprehensive survey of van Gogh’s work as a landscape painter. Essays by renowned art historians and van Gogh specialists explore this important aspect of his oeuvre. The reader becomes directly aware of how the earthy tones of his early Dutch phase were gradually replaced by a lighter style of painting in Paris . In the south of France , the artist then discovered the intense, brilliant colors and vital expression that have made his paintings so fascinating to this day. He was under the spell of creation throughout all the periods of his brief life and career; employing motifs such as the sower, fruit trees in blossom, the wheat harvest, or the reaper, he described the ever-renewing cycle of nature’s forces. (English edition ISBN 978-3-7757-2303-9; French edition SBN 978-3-7757-2353-4) Exhibition schedule: Kunstmuseum Basel, April 26–September 27, 2009