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| The Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine (1888) Oil on Canvas |
Vincent Van Gogh painted "The Night Cafe in the place Lamartine" in September of 1888 in Arles. The painting shows a still of the interior of Cafe de la Gare. Vincent is passionate about painting this cafe and sees the art of humanity within the wee hours of the cafe. To him, there is a form of beauty in this cafe that makes it exciting for him to attempt to capture in a painting. Rachel initially does not see this. To Rachel, this cafe is tacky and unpleasant. The painting shows a number of people in the cafe that are down and out on their luck who don't have a place to go for the night. In a way, it is also nostalgic for her since she used to be one of those people. The painting includes wooden tables and chairs scattered around the perimeter and a large pool table in the center. On almost every table, there are quite a few bottles of alcohol. To depict the cafe, Vincent uses bright greens, reds, and golds. Rachel points out that this is not an accurate depiction of the cafe. Vincent goes on to explain why he depicted the cafe the way he did. He used these wildly contrasting colors to depict what he saw in this cafe. He uses soft brushstrokes to counteract the strong contrasting colors. It creates a hazed feeling in the cafe. This painting is important for the way it allows Vincent to open up about his artistic process. Rachel can see things through his eyes and in a way that makes them closer. This painting teaches Rachel about this side of Vincent that she has yet to know
Extra Links
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/night-cafe.html
http://www.vangogh.net/the-night-cafe.jsp
http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/533.htm
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