Sloppy
This work is acquired for Helene Kröller-Müller in Paris by a certain Leonard in 1912. Over the years, doubts increasingly arise about its authenticity. The canvas is sloppily constructed and painted. Stylistically, there are many aspects that are difficult to reconcile with the hand of Van Gogh.
Brushwork, colour and perspective
For example, the brushwork is not applied rhythmically, but appears flat and chaotic. Nor are the colours entirely characteristic of Van Gogh, such as the liver-coloured sections in the fields in front of the mountain range. Finally, the perspective is very ‘forced’: the middle ground does not give a convincing impression of the distance between the foreground and the Alpilles in the background. This indicates that the maker was not familiar with the landscape.
Photographs
This mountain landscape is probably composed of elements from several works by Van Gogh. It seems very likely that photographs of those works were used for this purpose. Remarkably enough, the colours of the original works are almost entirely absent in this forgery.