Van Gogh's Bedroom

Van Gogh's Bedroom

Van Gogh's Bedroom also known as The bedroom at Arles, is one of Van Gogh's later pieces accomplished upon his stay in Arles, France. The portrait of his bedroom there is done in oil on canvas, a favorite medium of Van Gogh. This representational piece of a bedroom gives the patron an altered sense of space and scale, as well as a restful dreamlike quality. The artist creates an asymmetrical world with evident visual weight. Subordination gives emphasis to the focal point of the artwork, which is the bed. Most importantly, proportion gives the room a sense of realness and calm. This piece is heavy in visual weight, with purpose and strategy.

The piece is a small bedroom with doors in the middle of the left and right walls and a bay window on the wall directly in front of the viewer. These three walls are the only ones visible; one will see the room as if they were standing against the fourth wall. The walls are pale sea foam blue with the doors a contrasting darker smoky teal. The floor seems to be one piece with the slightest outline of hunter green to identify planks or tiles in the front right hand corner of the piece. The color of this floor is that of an old penny, a faded red with hints of orange with notes of deep sienna. The left wall bears a chair in front of the left door; this chair is a dark yellow kitchen chair with a darker mint green seat. Also hanging on the wall is a black non-descript hook containing a dark mint green towel. This towel bears a dark red trim creating a green margin on the end of this towel. Caddy corner to the left wall and the wall directly in front of the viewer is an orange washstand; this washstand holds a light blue decanter possibly made from class, this decanter is accompanied by a matching drinking glass. A wash basin and pitcher also accompany the decanter; the pair matches the smoky blue of the doors. A light brown, possibly pine toiletry box rests on top of the wash basin. On the far left of the wall in front of the viewer there is a black frame hanging low just above the wash basin. This small rectangular frame contains a robin's egg blue pain which judging by the white diagonal streak through the pane, which I interoperate as light from the parallel window, leads me to believe that this is a mirror. The right of the mirror reveals the long rectangular bay windows open inward slightly to come to a triangular point inside the room. The frame of these windows is deep hunter green. The glass in the window is a pistachio green with yellow light flowing through them. Under the right window pane is an identical chair to the one described previously. This chair is sitting diagonal to the bed as if someone were just sitting in it possibly looking after the person who lays in the bed degree on the right wall. Next to the chair is a horizontal coat rack, who's contents are covered by the 180 degree round angle of the headboard.