 A plaque placed on the miller 's house in 1973 to celebrate the 100th birthday of miller Gerardus van Hoorn commemorates both fires . Van Hoorn had known the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh , who lived in nearby Nuenen from 1883 until 1885 . Van Gogh painted several paintings around the mill , including an 1884 painting of the mill itself , Water Mill at Opwetten ( F48 ) . In a video interview in 1973 , Van Hoorn said that he had seen Van Gogh paint and had supplied him with bird nests for his paintings . 
