Bedroom in Arles by Van Gogh

Illustration

Mark Cartwright
by Musée d'Orsay
published on 17 March 2022
Bedroom in Arles by Van Gogh Download Full Size Image

An 1889 oil on canvas painting, Bedroom in Arles, by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), the Dutch post-impressionist artist. Painted in October, this was the artist's own room in the Yellow House he rented. He has painted all the contents of the room shifted towards the walls and so a central open space is left. The chairs are curiously angled towards the bed as if awaiting sitters. The furniture is often given an outline using Prussian blue. The scene has the unusual approach (but not for the artist) of showing the view from slightly above. Vincent gives the following motivation for the painting in a letter to his brother Theo:

...here everything depends on colour and by simplfying it I am lending it more style, creating an overall impression of rest or sleep. In fact, a look at the picture ought to rest the mind, or rather the imagination. (LT 554F)

(Musée d'Orsay, Paris)

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APA Style

d'Orsay, M. (2022, March 17). Bedroom in Arles by Van Gogh. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15466/bedroom-in-arles-by-van-gogh/

Chicago Style

d'Orsay, Musée. "Bedroom in Arles by Van Gogh." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 17, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15466/bedroom-in-arles-by-van-gogh/.

MLA Style

d'Orsay, Musée. "Bedroom in Arles by Van Gogh." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 17 Mar 2022. Web. 19 Apr 2024.

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