Vincent worked on several paintings of water mills in May 1884. For example, he painted the Collse watermill that he passed as he walked from Nuenen to Eindhoven. In Vincent's time, the mill was close to the train station where he caught the train to Eindhoven.
The mill served as an oil and grist mill. When Van Gogh painted this mill, he wrote to his friend Anthon van Rappard:
"It is the same as the two other watermills we visited together but with two red roofs and that one sees right in front - with poplars around it. Will be superb in autumn."
The address of the Collse Watermolen is Collseweg 3, Eindhoven
Van Gogh recorded the water mill on the Dommel River in Eindhoven several times, such as in November 1884. Vincent reportedly met Anton Kerssemakers at the mill. The two became good friends and Vincent gave him painting lessons.
Tanner Anton Kerssemakers (1846-1924) later also made a gouache of the same water mill.
Today the water mill has one wheel, in the old days of Van Gogh it had two wheels and can be found at Genneperweg 143 in Eindhoven.
This residence was commissioned by retired goldsmith Antoon Hermans and built by Pierre Cuypers. Vincent gave painting lessons in this house. Still lifes were composed based on Hermans' collection of jugs, pots and bottles. Vincent himself also helped paint these still lifes. In early August 1884, Hermans commissioned Vincent to paint a series of paintings to decorate his dining room.
The property can be found here: Keizersgracht 15, Eindhoven
In February 1885, Van Gogh made a pen drawing that clearly shows a sketch of St. Catherine's Church. The drawing was made from the back of Antoon Hermans' home on Keizersgracht.
Two other drawings with walkers show this church also, with its distinctive two towers, on the horizon.
St. Catherine's is a Neo-Gothic cross basilica with two towers onterpened by Pierre Cuypers. The appearance and beauty of the church, which had only just been completed at the time, must surely have caught the eye even then. The original pen drawing is managed by the 'Van Gogh Museum.
The Catharinakerk is located on the Catharinaplein in Eindhoven.
In Eindhoven, just outside Nuenen, there is a unique bike path. Visitors will be surprised at dusk by a design of light and color inspired by the world-famous work The Starry Night By Vincent van Gogh.
The bike path is part of the Van Gogh Bicycle Routes that connect the heritage sites of Vincent van Gogh in Brabant,. Vincent painted his first masterpiece The Potato Eaters in Nuenen and also captured the Opwetten Watermill and the Collse Watermolen in his paintings. Between those two unique mills lies this innovative bike path.
