Night Cafe at the Lamartine Square in Arles by Vincent Van Gogh

The painting “Night Cafe” was written by Van Gogh in 1888 in Arles. In this unusual picture, the author tried to convey the gloomy atmosphere of the institution.

In one of the letters to his brother Van Gogh wrote that a cafe is a place where a person can go to a crime or lose his mind. Aggressive and oppressive atmosphere is transferred by the artist with the help of a sharp combination of screaming colors – blood-red, dark green and caustic yellow. The prospect of the premises is deliberately strengthened, and it seems that the cafe seems to “suck” visitors.

The contours of the tables standing along the walls, and the large billiard table in the middle are twisted. This creates a feeling of instability and instability. The dim miserly light of small lamps illuminates the cold surroundings, and the pool table casts a huge shadow. A few visitors sitting at the walls seem lost and strangers. Their figures are conditional and lack clear outlines.

The lines are uneven, smears are laid out sharply and randomly, as if the picture is written with an unsteady hand. Van Gogh tried to convey the atmosphere of a nightly establishment through the eyes of a visitor who was drinking alone at the end of the hall. Through the fog of his consciousness, the perception of a gloomy, uncomfortable and aggressive reality breaks through.