As we know from van Gogh’s letters to his brother Theo, van Gogh was seeking calmness and peace of mind and wanted to convey the same to the viewers with his famous picture “The Bedroom” in Arles. Van Gogh, meaning to convey tranquillity, has been related to two facts: His religious background and mental health problems. Throughout his life, the artist was moved by others and always felt attracted to those who needed help. It was here that Van Gogh saw the purpose of religion, giving clarity and purpose to those that needed it most. His mental illness, which has posthumously been “diagnosed” as Schizophrenia, made him long for silence and peacefulness. Regarding “The Bedroom” however, due to the strong contrast, the vivid colours and the sharply receding perspective, the effect on the viewer today might rather be energizing and invigorating than soothing and peace-giving.
Where is the picture “The Bedroom” today?
The original painting of van Gogh’s “Bedroom” has been on permanent display at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, since 1 July 1994.
What’s in it?
The picture shows van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles in the Yellow House from a perspective as if the viewer was entering. To the right is a bed under a slope, to the front a table with chairs below a mirror and a window. The central perspective has not been applied throughout the painting, as can be seen looking at the timber floor and the opened window. Furthermore, the wall above van Gogh’s bed is on an odd angle, which was indeed the case, and therefore is not subject to deliberate distortion by the artist. Vincent van GoghVincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is one of the renowned Post-Impressionist artists, best known for his striking use of colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. As a son of a pastor, the Dutch artist war brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. After working unsuccessfully as a clerk at a bookstore, as a salesman, and as a preacher More mentions in a letter to his brother Theo to have “flattened” the interior and omitting shadows, imitating the style of Japanese ukiyo-e prints, which van Gogh was collecting at that time. He further describes his use of colour: “It amused me enormously doing this bare interior. With a simplicity à la Seurat. In flat tints, but coarsely brushed in full impasto, the walls pale lilac, the floor in a broken and faded red, the chairs and the bed chrome yellow, the pillows and the sheet very pale lemon green, the bedspread blood-red, the dressing-table orange, the washbasin blue, the window green. I had wished to express utter repose with all these very different tones.” This letter shows, that the colours must have changed over the years due to discolouration: Today, the wall and the doors appear blue, originally having been purple.
What’s the context?
Van Gogh Facts:
Vincent van GoghVincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is one of the renowned Post-Impressionist artists, best known for his striking use of colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. As a son of a pastor, the Dutch artist war brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. After working unsuccessfully as a clerk at a bookstore, as a salesman, and as a preacher More arrived in Arles in 1888 to focus on landscape painting and the effects of sunlight after two years in Paris. He soon decided to rent rooms in the “Yellow House” on Place Lamartine in Arles to establish a collaborate “artist colony” with other artists. However, the first and last to move in with him would be Paul Gauguin. “The Bedroom” in Arles was one of van Gogh’s first paintings after he moved into the Yellow House.
Chatter and Prattle
- Vincent van GoghVincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is one of the renowned Post-Impressionist artists, best known for his striking use of colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. As a son of a pastor, the Dutch artist war brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. After working unsuccessfully as a clerk at a bookstore, as a salesman, and as a preacher More made three versions of “The Bedroom” in Arles. The first one, painted in 1888, is now kept in the collection of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; the second one, which he painted one year later, is on permanent display at the Art Institute of Chicago; The third one, which he painted on a smaller canvas as a gift for his mother and sister, is part of the collection of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, today.
- The collaboration between van Gogh and Gauguin brought forth some unique pieces of art. Yet the two artists had strongly differing understandings on art, leading to heated conflicts. Van Gogh wrote to his brother: “Gauguin and I talk a lot about Delacroix, Rembrandt &c. The discussion is excessively electric. We sometimes emerge from it with tired minds, like an electric battery after it’s run down.”
- When Gauguin said to leave the Yellow House, van Gogh became so agitated that he threatened the fellow artist with a razor. Later that night, he cut off his own ear, wrapped it in newspaper, and presented it to a prostitute in the nearby red-light district.
Recommended Readings:
This article may contain compensated links. Please read Disclaimer for more info. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingo F. Walther et al. (2020): Van Gogh. The Complete Paintings
Vincent Van GoghVincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is one of the renowned Post-Impressionist artists, best known for his striking use of colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. As a son of a pastor, the Dutch artist war brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. After working unsuccessfully as a clerk at a bookstore, as a salesman, and as a preacher More (2020): The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh
Martin Gayford (2008): The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Provence
Steven Naifeh et al. (2012): Van Gogh: The Life (RANDOM HOUSE)
Steven Naifeh (2021): Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved
