On 6/8/22 ,We went on our second visit to Nuenen village (8kms from Eindhoven station) in Netherlands after Sept.2019 nearly 3 years back !In our last trip we had missed out on a visit to the ‘Twinkling Paths for the Cyclists moving in the night time’ which is a great innovation inspired by the famous Painter Vincent Van Gogh who lived in this village once upon a time!We reached at the location in Nuenen just before sunset at 9:30 pm & remained there for one hour at the cycling path to witness the complete transition of the 600 mts track from normal to ‘Twinkling Path’ guiding the cyclists in the otherwise dark surroundings! We were truly mesmerized by the great spectacle before our eyes!

ABOUT THE ARTIST : Painter Vincent Van Gogh who once lived in Nuenen village !

Vincent Van Gogh (  March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890 ) was a Dutch painter . His work falls under post-impressionism, an art movement that followed nineteenth-century  impressionism( Post-Impressionism was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction against Impressionists’ concern for the naturalistic depiction of light and colour)! Van Gogh’s influence on Expressionism , Fauvism and early abstraction was enormous and can be seen in many other aspects of twentieth-century art. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is dedicated to the work of Van Gogh and his contemporaries. In the Kröller-Müller Museum is home to the second largest Van Gogh collection in the world. Van Gogh is considered one of the greatest painters of the 19th century. This recognition came late, however: although he already had some fame in select art circles in the last years of his life, his work was not noticed by the general public until after his death !He posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. He was not commercially successful and, struggling with severe depression and poverty, committed suicide at the age of 37.

Starry Nights The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas modern art painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village !It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest. Widely regarded as Van Gogh’s magnum opus, The Starry Night is one of the most recognizable paintings in Western art.

VAN GOGH ROOSEGARDE Cycle Path:

The light emitting bicycle path which glows at night inspired by Van Gogh Starry Night. The VAN GOGH PATH is located where Van Gogh lived in 1883-1885 in Eindhoven and Nuenen, the Netherlands.The path celebrates this cultural heritage and connects it with innovation. The path charges during the day and glows at night. It creates a place of wonder and inspiration, but is also an enhancement of public safety and local tourism.VAN GOGH PATH is a part of SMART HIGHWAY, which are interactive and sustainable roads of tomorrow by Daan Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure. Its goal is to make smart roads by using light, energy and information that interact with traffic.The collaboration between Roosegaarde and Heijmans is a true example of innovative industry. The design and interactivity by Studio Roosegaarde and the craftsmanship of Heijmans fuse one common goal: innovation of the Dutch landscape. The bicycle path will be illuminated by thousands of twinkling stones. The glow in the dark bicycle path uses the led light-emitting technique. The light stones will charge during the day and emit light during the evening and bring alive the famous Starry Night painting by Van Gogh.

Ode to Vincent van Gogh :

Vincent van Gogh was born in Brabant. It was here that he grew up, found his inspiration, made his first sketches &created his first masterpiece: The Potato Eaters. The Van Gogh cycle route invites you to be inspired by the heritage locations, Van Gogh Monuments & the countryside that was inscribed on Vincent’s heart.The Dutch artist  Daan Roosegaarde developed this 600 meters cycle path that contains thousands of twinkling colored stones. His goal is to make smart roads by using sustainable light, energy & information that interact with the traffic situations and will enhance the public safety too.

My dear readers may kindly point out any incorrect information in my above writeup needing any corrections! I am truly indebted to Wikipedia for the invaluable information on the subject !This is my second visit to the place & anyone interested to know about the first visit may kindly go through my blog dated 1st April,2020!Happy Reading💕