Van Gogh's Cafe in Arles © 2013 Mikestravelguide. All rights reserved.

Van Gogh in Arles

“And in a picture I want to say something comforting as music is comforting.”

~ Vincent van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theo, 3 September 1888

The most exciting thing for us about visiting Arles was knowing that Vincent van Gogh had lived here for a time.  Thanks to the TI walking tour map, we were able to see Van Gogh’s Arles, though it’s changed a bit since his stay.  Sadly, none of his paintings reside in Arles, but can be viewed in museums across the globe, including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 in Zundert, a village in the Netherlands near the Belgian border.  Though he spent time working for art dealers Goupil & Cie, traveling between Amsterdam, the Hague, London and Paris, he did not begin his own career as an artist until around 1880, at the age of 27. Two years later, Vincent received his first commission from his Uncle Cornelius, for a series of pen and ink drawings.

“In all of them there is a vigour in the colours which you had never achieved before...”

~Theo van Gogh – Paris, France.  Letter to Vincent, 16 June 1889

Vincent arrived in Arles in the winter of 1888 and it was here that he found the light that would permeate his work in his last years. Changing his focus from the realistically dark, somber images of life in the north, to the sunshine of the south, his paintings would now include more vibrant swirls of color and the brightness of Provençal sunshine.

Vincent van Gogh - The yellow house ('The street')

Sadly, however bright his paintings, life in his rented ‘Yellow House’ in Arles did not rid him of the demons he battled and he spent months in the Hospital of Arles (Hôtel-Dieu-Saint-Espirit) and in the asylum in nearby Saint-Rémy de Provence where he continued to make drawings and paint, creating among other works, ‘Garden of the Hospital in Arles’  in 1889.  The Hospital in Arles is now the Espace Van Gogh cultural center; the courtyard is open free to the public. Though van Gogh spent just over a year in Arles, he produced over 180 paintings and drawings, a number of which would become his most well known pieces, including:

La Chambre à Arles, by Vincent van Gogh, from C2RMF

The Bedroom in Arles (La Chambre à Arles)  Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands 

Bridge at Arles

Bridge at Arles (Pont de Langlois) – Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, the Netherlands

Vincent van Gogh - Shoes

Shoes – Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York 

Starry Night Over the Rhone

Starry Night Over the Rhône (La nuit étoilée) – Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France

I am also working on a bunch of flowers, and a still life of an old pair of shoes.

~ Vincent van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theo, 29 August 1888*

On our walking tour, we followed in Vincent’s footsteps to see where he painted a number of his masterpieces.  We took photos along the way and have posted here those photos alongside embedded images of the original paintings (our photos are the thumbnails on the right).

Vincent Willem van Gogh - Cafe Terrace at Night (Yorck)       Van Gogh's Cafe in Arles

Terrace of a café at night on the Place du Forum (Terrasse de café la nuit, Place du Forum)

Vincent van Gogh - La Maison de la Crau       Van Gogh The Old Windmill

The Old Mill

Vincent Willem van Gogh 030       Van Gogh Bridge

The Trinquetaille Bridge

Van Gogh - Garten des Hospitals in Arles1    Van Gogh Garden of Hospital

Garden of the Hospital in Arles

Vincent Willem van Gogh 028       Roman Arena Amphitheatre Arles France

Spectators in the Arena at Arles

Vincent van Gogh - The yellow house ('The street')    Van Gogh Yellow House Arles France

The Yellow House

Starry Night Over the Rhone    Starry Night Over the Rhone Arles France

Starry Night Over the Rhone

Click here to read more of Vincent’s letters


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Vincent van Gogh Walking Tour Arles
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6 Comments

  1. This post is priceless! It gives me shivers to know these places are still recognizable and that we can literally stand in the artist’s footsteps. The true delight is in seeing how his eye transformed reality. It really makes the yearnings of your inner artist surface, doesn’t it?

    Next time in Europe, I want to retrace some of Van Gogh’s steps!

    • Mikestravelguide

      Thanks so much, Jenna! We hope you get the chance to follow Van Gogh’s footsteps. It’s an interesting feeling to see where he worked. His impressions of the scenery still inspire us.
      Any plans to return to Europe in the near future?? Keep us posted 🙂
      Gayla~

  2. Adrianne

    How can a person choose only one favorite Van Gogh painting? I love your photos of the actual places that he painted. Nice touch!

    • Mikestravelguide

      It is really hard to choose a favorite! Glad you like the photos, Adrianne. Thanks for stopping by the site and sharing your thoughts 🙂

  3. Ian

    I am going to book a trip to Arles. I want to see what he saw.

    Inspiring web site. Many thanks.

    • Mikestravelguide

      Hi Ian, Thanks for visiting our site. We hope you get to see Vincent’s Arles. Happy travels!

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