Van Gogh decided to settle in Auvers-Sur-Oise, to live closer to his brother Theo who still lived in Paris. Living closer to his brother was good for Vincent. He liked Auvers and the countryside landscape very much, he felt calm and relaxed there. In the final two weeks of his life, he wrote to his mother “I am feeling more peaceful. I have always believed that returning to familiar places would have this effect”.
A lot of paintings Vincent painted in Arles can still be found in the current landscape.
Van Gogh rented a cheap room across from the Town Hall of Auvers. The Auvers Town Hall still exists and these images show the resemblance:
Van Gogh used lots of bright colors and painting lines when he lived in Auvers. He continued to experiment with color schemes and also painted the church in Auvers, which is still in use. A remarkable detail is that two months later he found his final resting place next to the Church at the cemetery.
Despite his departure from the hospital in Saint-Remy, Van Gogh was still mentally ill and he suffered from nightmares. During his time in Auvers-Sur-Oise, he was treated by Dr. Paul Gachet, a French Physician. Dr. Gachet had an art collection himself which included works of Camille Pissaro and Cézanne. Dr. Gachet was an amateur painter himself and he encouraged Vincent to paint. So Vincent did, he worked very hard and he painted almost one painting a day, mostly landscapes. He also made a portrait of Dr. Gachet.
Van Gogh spent the last days of his life in Auberge Ravoux. This hostel is restored to its original stage, and Vincents’ room can be visited. The wheatfield where he shot himself on the unfortunate day July 27, 1890, is right outside of the village.
After Van Gogh died, Theo suffered from a deep depression. At the request of his wife, he was hospitalized at a psychical hospital. This didn’t work out for Theo. Eventually, he died at the age of 33. in 1890. Theo van Gogh was initially buried at the cemetery in Utrecht, the Netherlands. On April 8, 1914, he was reburied at Auvers-Sur-Oise, next to Vincent.
Just after his death, he achieved the fame he deserves. Nowadays paintings of Vincent van Gogh are worth millions and are well-known all over the world.