Van Gogh's bedroom in Arles, 1889 Lign
A line of stationery...
In February 1888, Vincent van Gogh left Paris to settle in Arles, in search of southern light and colours. He soon rented a studio at 2 Place Lamartine: the famous Yellow House, which he dreamed of transforming into a 'southern studio' where several artists could live and create together.
Van Gogh was inspired by Japanese prints, which fascinated him, and saw Arles as his own Provençal Japan. In his many letters to his brother Theo, he enthusiastically described his plans and his impatient wait for Paul Gauguin, whom he hoped to convince to join him. Gauguin arrived on 23 October 1888 for an intense but brief collaboration-only nine weeks. After their dramatic breakup in December, Van Gogh continued his work in Arles until May 1889, before voluntarily committing himself to Saint-Rémy.
...And a line of accessorizes
Van Gogh carefully considered every shade to express tranquillity, creating a striking paradox between his soothing intention and the unsettling result. In his letters to Theo in October 1888, he explained that he wanted to 'bring out the simplicity of his room through the symbolism of colours'. The pale lilac walls, chrome yellow bed, blood red blanket and green window form a vibrant palette that paradoxically invites rest.
These diverse tones create a visual harmony where each colour reinforces the feeling of calm and refuge. However, the instability of the perspective disrupts this sought-after tranquillity: the floor seems to tilt, the furniture floats slightly, creating a feeling of vertigo that contrasts with the intention of absolute rest. This deliberate distortion could reflect the artist's psychological fragility, as he himself spoke of 'fever or mental or nervous madness' in his correspondence in 1889, revealing the constant tension between the painter's desire for calm and his inner turmoil.
Where is Van Gogh's bedroom located in the painting of Arles?
The bedroom depicted was on the first floor of the Yellow House, located at 2 Place Lamartine in Arles. Van Gogh rented this modest space where he hoped to create an artists' studio and welcome Paul Gauguin before their famous falling out.
Why did Van Gogh paint his bedroom?
Van Gogh wanted to express absolute rest and simplicity through this painting. In his letters to his brother Theo, he explains that he wanted to convey a feeling of total tranquillity through bold colours and the absence of superfluous details.
Where is Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles on display?
The three original versions of Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles are kept in prestigious museums around the world, each accessible to the public in permanent collections.
The first version (1888), which inspired the other two, is in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The second version (1889) is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago in the United States.
The third version (1889), smaller in size at 57 × 74 cm, is kept at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.