Van Gogh's Yellow House

It was a yellow building, at No 2, Place Lamartine, in Arles, France, where at the beginning of May 1888 Vincent van Gogh managed to rent four rooms, in no small part due to the continued help of his brother Theo, maybe the only one who believed in Vincent's talent and dedication. At the ground floor the painter had his atelier and a kitchen (not that he was much of a cook) while the two rooms on the upper floor were a small bedroom and somewhat of a living room. Not much, but for an artist who never managed to find enough money for a decent life it was actually a dream come true. It seemed that for Vincent it finally began a period of peace and work, but little did he know that he would live for only two more years.

Here, in the yellow house, as he affectionately named it in his letters, he felt peaceful, merry, even happy, and was impressed at first by the lively colours of the interior and the beautiful japanese works of art which decorated the rooms (very much in fashion at that time). It wouldn't be long until the main decorations will be his own works. And it was in this very house that Gauguin, the ill-fated friend of Vincent van Gogh, finally arrived in the autumn of 1888, in September. It was to be the beginning of van Gogh's downfall, and the role that Gauguin played is still controversial.

 
But then, in 1888, all was well. And among the works that van Gogh completed during those winter months was this one, depicting his yellow house, and bearing this very title. It is a quiet composition, full of life and joy, not without a touch of dreamy sadness, and of course with a lot of shades of yellow. It was a tipical house for Arles, which also had several beautiful structures, including a theatre, a circus, the public baths, and it is safe to say that Vincent van Gogh finally felt somewhere to he home. And close by, as one can see in the painting, is the small restaurant ran by Widow Venissac, also his landlady. Not to forget the small grocery shop, intimate and rather cheap, and one can't help but wonder if any of the people who lived in Arles at the time could fathom that the strange individual was actually a genius. Nowadays the yellow house is gone, having been severely damaged during the Second World War and demolished after.

And the painting, like so many of van Gogh's works, couldn't find a buyer at that time. Since 1962 it is one of the masterpieces in the collections of Vincent van Gogh Foundation. Those who want to see it first hand can do so at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.