The Peculiar Role Shadows Play in Van Gogh’s Art

Exploring Vincent’s use of light and shade

The Bedroom (1889) by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas. 74 × 92 cm. The Art Institute, Chicago, U.S. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Recently I noticed a surprising thing about Vincent van Gogh’s painting style: that he rarely painted deep shadows and when he did, the intention was very specific.

This realisation was made more stark to me because of the research I was doing into the Italian artist Caravaggio, for…