Two Children (Deux enfants)
Painting on canvas • Vincent van Gogh
Style & Movement
Post-Impressionism / Expressionism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas using post-impressionist techniques including thick impasto, rhythmic brushstrokes, and heavy contouring (cloisonnism).
Creation Period
June 1890
Dimensions & Format
Approx. 51.4 cm x 51.4 cm; square format (portrait orientation of subjects).
Subject Description
A portrait of two young girls, possibly including members of the Roulin or Ravoux families, depicted in an outdoor setting with cottages in the background. The figures are rendered with expressive, exaggerated features and bold blue garments. One child holds a white flower, symbolizing innocence.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Very Good; the work shows stable paint layers with minor age-related craquelure typical of late 19th-century canvases.
Estimated Market Value
$50,000,000 - $80,000,000 (Estimate based on recent private sales and auction records for late Auvers-sur-Oise period works).
Auction Estimate
$60,000,000 - $90,000,000
Provenance History
Once in the collection of Johanna van Gogh-Bonger; later acquired by the Musee d'Orsay, Paris. High historical certainty.
Art Historical Significance
A critical work from Van Gogh's final months in Auvers-sur-Oise. It demonstrates his deepening interest in portraiture as a means of expressing modern psychology and his transition toward a more expressionistic use of color and line.
Notable Features
Distinctive 'wavy' brushwork in the background foliage and the use of bold Prussian blue outlines. The composition is characteristic of his late experiments with Japanese-inspired flat planes and distorted perspectives.
Condition Issues
Slight yellowing of the older varnish layers; stable fine-line crackle pattern consistent with heavy impasto drying; minor edge wear from previous framing.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain stable humidity (45-55%) and temperature (20-22°C). Display under UV-filtered glazing with lighting levels not exceeding 150-200 lux to prevent pigment fading.