Vincent Van Gogh - “Café Terrace at Night” 1888

The famous painting “Cafe Terrace at Night” is painted with oil on canvas by Vincent Van Gogh, the painting depicts a cafe at The Place du Forum, in Arles. Van Gogh utilizes a limited pallet of yellow and blue, two complementary colors that perfectly help and contrast each other. The cafe catches the viewer’s eyes the most due to its bright yellow look. Van Gogh is able to use a bright yellow ochre for the shadows and doorways of the cafe this way it did not take away from the brightness of the cafe. It is truly a master way of using color to depict light and contrast. In the background the silhouette of the starry night could be seen the blues and light yellow of the starry night. Referring back to my last last article the blue and -ale yellow littering the sky creates an imaginative, magical feel. The feeling of hope and brightness litters the sky. Dark blue and light blue hues shift throughout the sky, and it reflects on the floor tiles painted in the signature style of Van Gogh’s paintings. The dark black used for the buildings in the back feels just like the tree silhouette in the starry night. The buildings grow darker and more saturated as it extends into the background creating depth. I personally love the touch of the green tree in the upper right corner. It gives the painting a new color, just like how the cafe has a bit of yellowish green to create a slightly cooler color to contrast the warm yellow. The blue wooden frame appearing at the lower left corner of the painting frames the work and creates an eye-catching composition for the piece. Overall this piece lives up to its fame, it is a brilliantly composed painting, the colors dance across the canvas and the brilliant use of colors really makes the viewer feel as if they are at the cafe in the late 1800s. Would you like to have a coffee with Van Gogh at this cafe?

Vincent Van Gogh - “Café Terrace at Night” 1888 (80.7 cm × 65.3 cm (31.8 in × 25.7 in)