Arles, a small city in the south of France, is still world-famous for Van Gogh. From February 21, 1888 to May 3, 1889, Van Gogh lived here, and in just over a year, Van Gogh created many great works here. Today, arles can still find landscapes that are almost identical to Van Gogh's paintings.
Van Gogh Café
The bright yellow contrasts with the blue. Although the painting is at night, there is no trace of darkness, the sky is a rich blue, the houses in the distance are dark blue, the nearby café walls are yellow, the terraces are orange, and the ground is a transition from yellow-orange to blue. In his letter to Theo, Van Gogh said, "The colors of the night are more vivid and richer than during the day." This was Van Gogh's first painting with a starry background, and was completed in the same month of the same year as Starry Night on the Rhône. The original café façade was not yellow, but the effect of the gas lamp, van Gogh depicted it as a warm and intense yellow.
Van Gogh's life is both admirable and regrettable. He left us many great paintings, but only one painting was sold during his lifetime. Van Gogh's life was full of hardships and pains. He needed his brother's handouts to survive, and sometimes he could only afford a cup of coffee a day.
Arles, France
The torment of reality, which led Van Gogh to suffer from severe psychiatric disorders, manifested by extreme mood swings, long-term depression and depression, intermittent highly active and prolonged episodes, and symptoms of auditory and visual hallucinations. Combined with his different works in different periods, we can also see the beginning of the disease. Van Gogh's creative peak was in the summer, and his onset was also in this season. Extreme emotions make Van Gogh's schizophrenia worse, but also bring Van Gogh a very strong creative inspiration. When he talked about his creation, he once said: "I risk my life for it; because of it, my sanity is half broken; but it does not matter...".
Sunflower fields in Arles, France
Van Gogh sunflowers
"Langlois Suspension Bridge in Arles" The Langlois Suspension Bridge on the canal south of Arles is the subject of several of Van Gogh's paintings and watercolors. The painting was painted in the spring of 1888 and was influenced by the style of Japanese printmaking. The bright blue water surfaces show the intense sunlight of southern France, and the contrasting yellow suspension bridge brings a sense of vitality. The local women washing clothes by the river are lively and vivid, and the simplicity and simplicity of rural life are pleasant.
The suspension bridge is long gone. The now-reconstructed suspension bridge is also separated from the original site by several kilometers. But the image of the suspension bridge is exactly the same as in Van Gogh's paintings, and the surrounding area is still a thriving rural landscape. It's too far to walk from the centre of town, so it's recommended to rent a bike or take a ride.
Van Gogh's painting "Langlois Suspension Bridge"
Langroy Suspension Bridge
The Yellow House
On May 1, 1888, Van Gogh rented four rooms in the yellow house on the corner of the painting. In a letter to his brother Theo, he wrote, "I want to make it a real 'painter's house,' which is not luxurious, on the contrary, there is not a single thing of luxury in it," "the house gives me a sense of ease, and from now on I feel that I am working for the future."
Bright blue sky, bright yellow house. The two lower rooms are the studio and the kitchen; the upper, left-hand window is Van Gogh's room, and in the right-hand window is Gauguin's room—Gauguin came to this "painter's house" in October of that year after being invited. The restaurant with the awning next to the yellow house belongs to the landlady.
Van Gogh's "Yellow House"
Hospital (Hôtel-Dieu)
The Courtyard of the Arles Hospital, in December 1888, after a quarrel with Gauguin, Van Gogh cut off his left ear. He was taken to the hospital in the painting for treatment, both physical and mental. Thereafter, until the early summer of 1889, when he went to the Saint-Rémy Psychiatric Hospital, where Van Gogh often traveled back and forth between the Yellow House and the hospital in Arles.
Van Gogh's "Arles Hospital"
Van Gogh, Arles Hospital
The Rhone
Two or three minutes walk from the Yellow House, you can reach the rhône river. In September 1888, Van Gogh depicted the bright stars of autumn, the river reflecting the splendid brilliance of the city and the stars, and a couple walking on the riverbank. The starry sky and the river seemed to be connected, and Arles turned into a slender light, as if from the river along the light, it could go to the huge star and go to heaven.
Starry sky of the Rhône
Van Gogh, the starry sky of the Rhône
Watch the video to learn more:
A French town that is more beautiful than oil painting, it turns out that there are more moving stories than landscapes, and I am fascinated