The Optimism of the Most Famous Artist’s Bedroom in History
Uncovering the story of Van Gogh’s vibrant abode
What impels an artist to paint? What kind of urge takes them to the canvas to begin working?
I’d like to say that paintings are, amongst other things, an attempt to seize the visible world before it changes — as it is so prone to doing.
It might be a view, a ray of sunlight, an expression on a face, a certain arrangement of colours presented before the artist. Even as we move around a room our view of things is perpetually revising.
When Vincent van Gogh painted The Bedroom, his creative energies were in full flow. In various ways, the painting is an attempt to pin down these transitory moments, when the artist’s new abode was pristine and all of his hopes for the future were intact…
Finding personal freedom
The Bedroom depicts Van Gogh’s newly rented studio home in Arles, the “Yellow House”, where he began living in September 1888.
Decorating and furnishing the house was a carefully planned effort. He was also painting new…
