Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890)

Year | 1889

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

57.3 × 73.5 cm

Location

Musée d'Orsay → Niveau supérieur, Salle 36

Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles

Vincent van Gogh explored his personal sanctuary through three nearly identical canvases. While the 1888 original suffered flood damage in Arles, this Musée d'Orsay version was created nearly a year later as a smaller gift for his family in Holland. Writing to his brother Theo, the artist detailed how a symbolic palette—including lilac walls, a faded red floor, and lime green bedding—was chosen to evoke a sense of tranquillity and bring out the simplicity of his room. From the blood-red blanket to the blue wash basin and green window, every hue served his goal of portraying a space of absolute repose. This aesthetic was deeply influenced by the Japanese lifestyle and its minimalist interiors. By combining a rigid structure of straight lines with intense color surfaces, Van Gogh successfully stabilized the shifting perspective, achieving a profound sparseness despite the room's modest furnishings.