During his first spring in Arles, south of France, Van Gogh painted at least ten pictures of these blossoming trees. He was fascinated by the contrast of the pinkish-white blooms against the blue sky and complained when bad weather stopped him from working in the orchards. One of these paintings was shown in the 1910 Post-Impressionist exhibition in London. While the British press were highly critical of this display, Van Gogh’s expressive brushstrokes, colours and ‘romantic temperament’ received rare praise.