Van Gogh’s stay in Drenthe

On 11 September 1883, Vincent departed from the train station in the Hague, travelling via Utrecht and Zwolle to arrive in Hoogeveen that evening. . Vincent spent 3 weeks in an attic room of the lodgings belonging to Albert Hartsuiker.

Eternal voyage to Nieuw-Amsterdam
On 2 October, he travelled by tug barge from Hoogeveen to the ‘South-eastern’ corner of Drenthe, where he arrived in Nieuw-Amsterdam, following an ‘eternal voyage’. During this trip, Vincent drew a sheet of sketches, an illustrated travel blog as it were.

Stay at the Van Gogh House Drenthe
Vincent lived and worked at the Scholte lodgings (nowadays the Van Gogh House Drenthe) for a number of months. He was extremely happy with his relatively large room. From the 23 letters written during his time in Drenthe, we learn that he was very impressed with the landscape. He draws and paints the Peat Boat with Two Figures, created in Nieuw-Amsterdam and property of the Drents Museum in Assen. He also made a watercolour of the bridge in front of the lodgings. This painting is the property of the Groninger Museum. As the weather deteriorated, Vincent began to feel lonely.

When he also began to experience financial problems, he decided to return to his parents’ home in Nuenen.