Memory of the Garden at Etten 1888

This sketch, "Memory of the Garden at Etten," captures Vincent van Gogh’s emotional and psychological landscape through the lens of memory. Van Gogh, living in a period marked by rapid industrialization and shifting social norms, often turned to nature and personal recollections as sources of solace and inspiration. Here, the garden becomes a stage for exploring themes of loss and longing, with female figures cloaked in mourning attire dominating the foreground. These women, possibly representations of his mother and sister, evoke the complex dynamics within Van Gogh’s family and the societal expectations placed on women during the late 19th century. The swirling lines and abstracted forms create an atmosphere that feels both intimate and estranged. Van Gogh once wrote about his desire to express, "not exactly what I have before my eyes, but what the thing has planted in me.” This drawing is not a literal depiction, but a deeply personal reflection on memory, family, and the emotional weight of the past.