Blossoming Chestnut Branches, 1890 by Vincent Van Gogh

Coming from South-France, Van Gogh enjoys the spring a second time. The chestnut trees along the road are just blossoming. He paints the old trees with their showy blossoms, and breaks off the branches in order to paint them along with rhododendron in a vase that is merely hinted; the heavy tassels lean over, and informal contrast to the spreading leaves, they crowd the surface of the picture. The Japanese influence is evident here too, especially as the artist, eschewing the representational, puts the blossoming twigs on a bluish-green, vibrantly structured background.