Van Gogh Bed Bedroom At Arles Analysis

Owning a home is an important step in everyone’s life. Most people want a place they can call their own, to live in a space without relying on the dependency of others. Throughout his life, Van Gogh had lived in approximately thirty-seven different homes, some of which he only spent weeks in. Due to his financial status, Van Gogh would constantly have to rely on the hospitality of his family and friends, spending his time as nothing more than a border. However, in 1888 he was final able to find a home of his own within the ‘Yellow House’ in Arles France. This home was the first he could ever call his own, and served as a source of inspiration inspiring multiple paintings showing off his space (Groom). The painting by Van Gogh entitled Bedroom at Arles (Figure 1) in 1889 (oil on canvas) held a remarkable significance for him, embodying a sense of stability and independence, where he could freely work to express his creativity.
The term home has many different connotations, but in each it refers to a sense of belonging and identity, saying a lot about the character people possess and showcasing what they consider to be valuable and important in life. Over time, the home has been associated with many popular sayings “home is where the heart is,” “home sweet home,” and “there’s no place like home.” For Vincent van Gogh, each of these phrases would have been would have been true. He was so happy to have his own room he painted several representations of the space, something he had never done throughout his stay in his prior locations. Van Gogh was on a constant search to establish his own identity. His relationship with his parents was a tenuous one and due to his financial standing he had to rely a great deal on his brother. When given his own space to do with as he wished he wanted it to represent the warmth and supervision of his distant parents (Meerloo). A room can say a lot about a person. Everything is placed just a certain way and has a unique character to help evoke a feeling of strength and silence. The room had very few furnishings and relied heavily on the use of color. To add a touch of personality to the space Van Gogh incorporated some of his own works hanging them on the walls. In a letter to his brother Theo he attached a quick sketch of the room (Figure 2) stating “this time it’s just simply my bedroom, only here color is to do everything, and giving by its simplification a grander style to things, is to be suggestive here of rest or of sleep in general. In a word, looking at the picture ought to rest the brain, or rather the imagination” (Van Gogh Letter 554). He wanted a place where he could just be his self and relax or escape from all of the stresses around him. Given his mental instabilities, Van Gogh was in need of a place where he could put to rest the chaotic thoughts in his mind. His religious background and relation to the character of a Buddhist monk meant he was not focused on the possession of material objects. …show more content…
Plus since he was unable to make a living off his work he could not afford and extravagantly furnished home. “The modest bedroom is full of the personality of the man. No painter of Van Gogh’s generation felt his surrounding more keenly than he. (R. M. F., 94) In addition, his interest in Japanese art and the simplicity it created was deemed more than just an artistic style but as a means by how to live. Even though there is such an importance placed on the color of the room, only the three main primary colors, red, yellow, and blue are represented. These colors do not match those in his written descriptions as he described the walls being a violet color and the pillows and sheets of the bedding being green in color. By simplifying the colors in his painting, it coincides with his view of a restful setting. One of the main focusses or themes found within his art center around the importance of home and haven. He would frequently paint the interior and exteriors of peasant houses and even in his