The history of Arles is strongly intertwined with that of a great character of Impressionist painting, Vincent Van Gogh, who spent a few years of his life in Provence, before illness consumed him definitively.
Here he painted and exhibited many of his most famous works such as Vincent’s Chair, the first version of Vincent’s Room in Arles, Vase with Twelve Sunflowers and also two nocturnal paintings such as the Café Terrace in the Evening and the Starry Night over the Rhone.
Bewitched by the colors, light and landscapes of Provence, enchanted by the sunny fields that surround the city.
His mental health deteriorated significantly, until it resulted in the episode of self-harm that led Van Gogh to cut off his ear and to hospitalize himself of his own free will first in Arles and then in Nimes.
Unfortunately, of the 300 works that the artist painted in Arles, not a single one is left in the city.
In the center of the city is the Café Van Gogh. Here the painter often sat there, observing the life around him and drawing inspiration. In fact, he immortalized the exterior of this café in the painting Terrace of the outdoor café, and its interior of the time in another painting, café de la nuit.
At the gates of the city of Arles is another iconic glimpse of Van Gogh’s works, The Langlois Bridge. There are five different versions of this glimpse, in which the artist played with variations in perspective, light and color.
Very very beautiful and intersting!
Vincent Van Gogh was a genius.
Thank you! Van Gogh was one of the most important painters of his time!