After 130 years, one of the great questions in Art History has been answered.

Researcher Wouter van der Veen finally found the exact location where Vincent Van Gogh painted his final masterpiece, Tree Roots. 

By chance, Van der Veen stumbled upon an old postcard showing trees near the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise from 1905. The depicted trees and their roots immediately made him think of the painting.. But how to be sure? 

Van der Veen, who lives in Strasbourg, 500 kilometers from Auvers-sur-Oise, had to wait till the end of the lockdown to see for himself. Once he saw the roots, he was almost certain he was right. 

"Well, I was astonished, of course, and overwhelmed. Because I had this little doubt – and a little doubt about such a vital masterpiece is overwhelming, so I tried at first to destroy my own theory, but I didn't manage to do that."

Van der Veen tells CGTN in front of the now-famous roots. "The evidence got stronger and stronger, all pieces of the puzzle just happened to fit, so after one or two days, scrutinizing carefully, I was convinced that this was the right place."

Van Gogh painted many spots in Auvers-sur-Oise, where he spent the last two months of his life. It was therefore plausible that he also made his last work in the leafy village. But the exact location remained unknown since the artist died on 29 July 1890.

Van der Veen submitted his discovery to researchers at the Van Gogh Museum. Bert Maes, an expert in wooded plants, specializing in historical vegetation, was also consulted.

Based on Van Gogh's working habits and the comparative study of the painting, postcard and current condition of the hillside, the experts concluded it was "highly plausible" the correct location had been identified.

Shortly after Van Gogh painted the tree roots, he walked into the fields, just 100 meters from the trunks. "There he shot himself in the chest," explains Van der Veen, moved. "He walked back to the Auberge Ravoux, the inn where he stayed. He didn't say anything, went to his room, lay down and after 32 hours of agony, he died in his room."

The roots are now protected from vandalism by a wooden structure. The owner and the municipality of Auvers-sur-Oise are reflecting on how to make this spot accessible for tourists. For the time being, the roots remain the silent witnesses of Van Gogh's very last hours.