Vincent regularly went out and about during his stay in Nuenen. He would have seen many windmills and watermills during these long walks, and he sketched or painted them. He also went there with his artist friends from Eindhoven, or with other friends who were visiting him for a few days.
These mills still exist and are now official Van Gogh monuments.
The windmills were used to grind grain.
The watermills are located on the Dutch section of the River Dommel. Some of them were built a thousand years ago. The power of the water and the millwheel have for centuries been used for grinding grain or pressing oil.
The windmill is located in the open countryside just north of Nuenen. One can see this windmill in many of Vincent's many paintings and drawings.
Opwetten Watermill is the largest mill wheel in the Netherlands. While Van Gogh lived in Nuenen he frequently passed this watermill, one of the artist’s favourite subjects to paint and draw.
In Vincent’s time the watermill at Kollen was close to the station at Eeneind on the Geldropscheweg. He painted the mill when walking to the railway station. The painting of the watermill can be viewed at the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch.
Van Gogh painted this watermill in Eindhoven several times. According to his own words he met Anton Kerssemakers here, who he befriended.
“ I’ve been working on a Water mill ... It’s the same sort of thing as the two other water mills that we visited together, but with two red roofs, and which one views square on from the front — with poplars around it. Will be magnificent in the autumn. ”
Letter 448, Vincent Van Gogh to Anthon van Rappard
