Factories at Clichy 1887

Vincent van Gogh captured this view of Factories at Clichy with oil on canvas during his time in Paris in 1887. Here, Van Gogh presents an image of the industrial edge of Paris. We see the factory chimneys belching smoke into the sky, contrasting sharply with the field in the foreground. In the late 19th century, France was undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization, and the move to the city was a common theme for artists. This work might be seen as a comment on those changes, on the impact of industry on the environment and the increasing distance between urban and rural life. Van Gogh’s painting captures this moment of transition and invites us to reflect on the social and economic forces that were shaping the world around him. To learn more about this period, we can turn to social histories, economic data, and contemporary accounts of Parisian life. Examining these resources can help us to understand the context in which Van Gogh created this painting and its relevance to the social and institutional landscape of the time.