Having completed an almost identical version of this scene in his detailed drawing of "The Harvest" (1888), Van Gogh felt confident enough to finish this painting in one long sitting. He was sufficiently pleased with the end result to give it a French title-"La Moisson"-a rarity for Van Gogh, most of whose work has been titled by subsequent dealers, critics, and art historians. At the time he considered the image to be such a success that he even wanted to show it at the annual Independants Exhibition in Paris. Comparing it with his other work up to this point, Van Gogh's praise was unusally emphatic. He wrote to Theo: "The [...] canvas absolutely diminishes all the rest."
Previously in Holand, Van Gogh had been unable to attemp such panoramas, partly due to a certain technical immaturity, but mainly for straightforward topographical reasons. Quite simply Holland was too flat. The Provencal contryside, compared to its Dutch equivalent, was the source of a far greater variety of cultivation and associated agricultural activities; many feature here. It is not hard to see why Van Gogh was so happy with his efforts. It is a truly stunning view, a landscape of unprecedented clarity and a rich evocation of an area in France that he came to love.
