Etten-Leur: It was in Etten that Vincent discovered the pollarded willows. He often sketched them, particularly in what was then known as Leursestraatje. Even in those drawings, he demonstrated the animistic way in which he viewed nature: he never simply drew a tree, but sought to imbue it with human emotion. For him, the pollarded willows symbolised the way in which people, too, are shaped by life. Later, in the south of France, he saw Christ’s despair on the Mount of Olives reflected in the gnarled olive trees.
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