Van Gogh: color in The Bedroom
Look at how color and strong outlines turn an ordinary room into a memorable painting.
An ordinary room, painted three times
Van Gogh painted his bedroom in Arles in three versions between 1888 and 1889. The Art Institute of Chicago’s painting is the second, made in September 1889. Its subject is familiar: a bed, chairs, a table, and pictures on the wall.
The museum describes Van Gogh’s intention as restful, even though the strong color and receding lines can feel energetic to a viewer. Keep both possibilities in mind. Your response to a painting can differ from the artist’s intention.
Compare areas of color
Begin with the bed. Notice the red cover beside the pale pillows and wooden frame. Now look at the cooler areas of the room. Which color seems closest to you? Which seems to recede?
Rather than naming one favorite color, choose a pair. Cover the red bedspread with your hand, then reveal it again. How much does that one area affect the rest of the room? Color works through its relationships as well as through individual shades.
Follow the outlines
Enlarge a chair or the edge of the bed. Look for the lines that separate one surface from another. Some are darker than the objects they surround, giving the furniture a clear shape.
Try a small drawing of a corner of your own room. Choose only three colors and one color for the outlines. Make a second version with different colors in the same shapes. Compare the mood of the two drawings before adding any detail. Then return to Van Gogh’s painting and see which relationships you notice now.
Explore the paintings.
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