Analysis of The Night Cafe - Vincent van Gogh

Vincent's Two Cafes

Van Gogh's two ultra-famous caf� scenes comprise a study in opposites. Though both paintings employ Vincent's famous bold and furious brushstrokes and striking colors, the two pictures feel entirely different. One, "Caf� Terrace at Night," is lovely and full of a frothy light, a night scene with stars outside the caf� on the Place de Forum. The other, "Night Caf�," is, in the artist's own words, "�one of the ugliest I have ever done," a collection of clashing colors in the dreariest atmosphere.So Koberling and fellow architect Arthur M. Atkinson crafted a dynamic first floor showcasing fans, sweepers, electric waffle irons, lamps and many other electrical appliances, all of which PSO then sold. Many of these newfangled gadgets could prove their effectiveness in a five-room model home inside the first floor, with marble floors, walnut-paneled walls and a full complement of furniture. Sidewalk shoppers also got a taste through gothic arched display windows highlighting washing machines, refrigerators and ranges.Perspective and warm complementary colors draw the viewer into the painting and beyond. The graphic texture of the street's cobblestones invite the eye toward the little caf� itself, with its tiny white tables on the street, repeating the spheres of Vincent's stars hung in the Prussian blue sky. The awning and walls of the caf�, warm yellow, cut into the sky to enhance both colors and form the main composition.Van Gogh loved the night. He writes, "I have a terrible need of--dare I say--religion�then I go outside at night and paint the stars." He painted this night scene on the spot, at night, using no blacks. His father was a preacher and Vincent went into the ministry for a while. It was later that this artist, now a star himself posthumously, decided his ministry would be to find a way to give hope and consolation to humanity through his art."It's really nice, other than the floor layouts are somewhat dated," said Atkinson. "You would probably lay it out differently than they did, but it has some great bones to it."The blaze started in a spare bedroom, where a desk lamp on the floor next to a bed had been left on.There is no doubt he succeeded. Upon first glance, the viewer almost tends to glance away, as if burned. Fully two-thirds of the painting is the floor of the caf�, executed in sulphuric yellow with exaggerated lines of perspective that yank the eye into the painting. Next, a green billiard table, outlined in heavy black, stops us cold. Beside the table stands a figure in a light-colored coat, staring out at us without expression.But with its business busting - PSO's electrical light and power connections leapt 1,090 percent in just over a decade to 31,121 by 1928 - the power company wanted its Tulsa headquarters to demonstrate the value of electricity to modern life."If we could get fully leased, we'd do that," Atkinson said. "We've had a bid to do that and it is very expensive. Unless the building performs better, we're really not in the plans to do that."

Van Gogh loved the night. He writes, "I have a terrible need of--dare I say--religion�then I go outside at night and paint the stars." He painted this night scene on the spot, at night, using no blacks. His father was a preacher and Vincent went into the ministry for a while. It was later that this artist, now a star himself posthumously, decided his ministry would be to find a way to give hope and consolation to humanity through his art.

Author: Elizabeth Harding