1886.03 – 1888.02
Colour as Practice
Two years. Almost no letters. But the palette was split open.
Technique
The palette opened completely: cobalt blue, ultramarine, viridian, emerald green, chrome yellow, vermilion, crimson lake, lead white — all colours he had avoided in Nuenen. Brushstrokes shortened from mid-period onwards, moving toward brief, broken, parallel combinations. In 1887 he entered an experimental phase with Pointillism and Divisionism, under Signac's direct influence. Complementary colour as a structural device entered his practice for the first time — previously it had been theory in his head. During these two years he made approximately 30 self-portraits, far exceeding any other period. Formats were mostly small to medium; he systematically tested different supports.
Causes
Living with Theo at 54 rue Lepic gave him direct access to the painters Theo's gallery handled. He met Pissarro, Signac, Seurat, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bernard, Anquetin, Gauguin, and Père Tanguy. A brief spell at Cormon's studio led to the friendship with Bernard. He read Chevreul's *De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs* more seriously than before. Together with Theo, he assembled a collection of roughly 660 Japanese woodblock prints — Père Tanguy's shop and Bing's gallery were the main sources. The letter archive for these two years is nearly empty: they were living under the same roof. It is the great silence in the correspondence. But the canvases speak for themselves.
Representative works
- *Self-Portrait with Felt Hat* (F344 / JH1354, winter 1887–88): peak of the Pointillist phase - *Père Tanguy* (F363 / JH1352, 1887): six Japanese woodblock prints in the background - *Still Life with Quinces and Lemons* (F602 / JH1239, 1887): early yellow-violet complementary experiment - *View from Theo's Apartment* (F341 / JH1242, 1887): looking down over Montmartre - *Asnières landscape series* (summer 1887): outdoor painting trips with Bernard and Signac
Letter evidence
- Letters 459–579 span the full two years but at very low density — the archive's silent period - The primary evidence for this period's technical evolution is on canvas, not on paper — which is itself a structural feature of the story
Transition
On February 20, 1888, he boarded the train to Arles. When he stepped off, Provence was under snow. His first painting there was not of sunlight. It was of snow.
Curve Landing Points
Colour as Practice: impressionist_hatched_to_pointillist
Colour as Practice: oil
Colour as Practice: cobalt_blue, ultramarine, viridian, emerald_green, chrome_yellow, vermilion, crimson_lake, lead_white
Colour as Practice: 80
Colour as Practice: 11
Period Evidence Network
Which works turn this period’s curve metrics into clickable evidence.
Representative Works
Self-Portrait with Felt Hat Pointillist phase peak Open node · The Self-Portraits 
Père Tanguy Six Japanese prints in background Open node · Pere Tanguy 
Still Life with Quinces and Lemons Early yellow-violet complementary experiment Colour Representative of the changed colour system Open node · Still Life with Quinces and Lemons 
View from Theo's Apartment Open node · View from Theo's Apartment 
Asnières landscape series Outdoor painting trips with Bernard and Signac Open node · Asnières landscape series Site curatorial model. Verifiable facts now carry source notes; estimated curves remain model values.