View of Paris from Montmartre

When Van Gogh climbed to this spot in 1886, Montmartre was still half countryside sitting on top of Paris. On the left of the picture stands Le Radet, one of the old windmills that had ground grain on the hill for generations and were now being swallowed by the growing city. Below them the rooftops run out toward the landmarks of the modern capital, and if you follow the skyline you can pick out the towers of Notre-Dame, the dome of the Panthéon, the Invalides and the Opéra. Van Gogh had this view close at hand. He was living just down the slope at 54 Rue Lepic, and this panorama was among his first attempts to make sense of the enormous city he had moved into.