The painting The Prison Courtyard was inspired by Gustave Doré’s engraving “Newgate Exercise Yard.” During this period, the artist lived in a psychiatric hospital and could not work from nature. At the bottom of a dreadful prison yard, doomed people move in an endless circle. This is a tragic symbol of human life, where there is no hope for rest and liberation. Van Gogh included himself in this circle. Tense contour lines, the persistent rhythm of parallel brush strokes, and lifeless blue and green colors create the feeling of a “hell on Earth.” Just one small detail – fluttering butterflies against the prison wall – brings a slight hope for salvation to this atmosphere.