4 Interesting Facts about the Life of Vincent Van Gogh in Arles

The painter was very productive but he struggled in his personal life

Vincent Van Gogh discovered Arles by accident in February 1888. He was previously living in Paris but was tired of the cold weather.

He decided to take the train to Marseille, but due to the bad weather it had to stop for a couple of hours. Van Gogh got out of the carriage and fell in love with Arles.

The artist created more than 300 paintings while in Arles as the colour and lights of the city inspired him.

“Ideas for work are coming in abundance…I am going like a painting-locomotive” (Letter to Theo Van Gogh 1888).

Unfortunately the artist could not keep up at this pace and suffered a breakdown.

This article will list the four interesting facts that define Van Gogh’s time in Arles.

1. Vincent Van Gogh and the Yellow House

He dreamt of setting up a “studio of the south” to collaborate with other painters. He thus rented a yellow house in 2 place Lamartine and used the ground floor as a studio. His bedroom and one guest room were located upstairs.

The colour yellow became the hallmark of his work during his time in Arles.

Unfortunately the house no longer exists as it was bombed during the war.

2. Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh

The artists met in Paris and kept in touch while Van Gogh lived in Arles. The latter hoped to collaborate with the singular painter and convinced him to come to in the south of France.

Gauguin accepted the invitation as he was assured financial support from Theo Van Gogh who was an art dealer.

The collaboration was at first very successful, Van Gogh made 36 canvas and Gauguin completed 21.

Unfortunately the relationship soured, nobody knows exactly what happened but one day Gauguin took a one way ticket to Paris.

Historians have stated that they sometimes had arguments about art. Van Gogh believed it was important to paint from reality while Gauguin preferred painting from his imagination.

Did one of these arguments lead to a full blown fight? We will never know but the departure of Gauguin from Arles marked the end of a legendary collaboration.

3. Van Gogh’s Breakdown

One night the painter cut off his ear then went to a brothel and gave it to a lady called Rachel.

She was shocked and worried for him but he dismissed her concerns and left the place. Rachel called the police who found him unconscious in his bed.

He was brought to the local hospital where he stayed for two weeks. When the doctor asked him why he cut his ear, Van Gogh replied that it was a personal matter.

The painter returned to the yellow house for a short period as locals wrote a petition to have him expelled from Arles.

Van Gogh was saddened but voluntary entered the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy.

4. Van Gogh’s favourite painting while in Arles

As we previously mentioned, the artist was very prolific while living in the city. He loved all his paintings but the one of his bedroom was his favourite.

He wrote several letters to his family describing it in details and hailed its simplicity.

The painting is one of Van Gogh’s most popular work as the association of various colours and its peculiar perspective make it unique.

To conclude

Vincent Van Gogh has inspired many artists and is one of the most influential figure in the history of art.

It is a pity that his talent was not recognised during his lifetime but one can rejoice in the fact that his legacy will live on forever.