Van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles
They dreamed of a workshop in the South where painters would work together. For nine weeks, in the fall of 1888, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin shared the Yellow House of Arles, painted the Alyscamps side by side, exchanged self-portraits and chairs, and opposed each other on everything: color, memory, reality. The experience ended abruptly on December 23, 1888.
A dream workshop, a brief and violent collaboration
Van Gogh and Gauguin did not just live together in Arles: they transformed the Yellow House into a laboratory where two conceptions of modern painting clashed. Nine weeks of exceptional productive intensity, which leave masterpieces behind and end in crisis.
The project has a name in Vincent's mind: l'south Workshop, a community of artists that he hopes to found with Gauguin. The two men paint the same motifs - the Alyscamps, the Arlesian night, the portraits of those around them - but do not reason the same. Van Gogh paints on the motif, captured by the light; Gauguin works from memory and recomposes. This fruitful tension becomes unbearable.
Two painters linked by correspondence
Van Gogh and Gauguin crossed paths in Paris in 1886 -1887, in the bustling circle of Cormon's workshop, Father Tanguy's boutique and impressionist exhibitions. Vincent discovered light color, Japanese prints and neo-impressionist research there; Gauguin, five years his senior, returned from Martinique with exotic paintings that fascinated Vincent.
In the spring of 1888, Vincent was already installed in Arles. The two men exchanged letters, sketches and paintings, and confided in each other the progress of their research towards a non-naturalist vision of the landscape. Gauguin, without resources, was slow in coming; Théo van Gogh, merchant and brother of Vincent, helped finance the trip. On October 23, 1888, Gauguin finally arrived at Arles station.
"Living in a workshop of our own with Gauguin"Wish expressed by Vincent in his correspondence
Meeting in the circle of avant-gardes and with Father Tanguy.
He settled in Provence in search of the light of the South.
Vincent sets up his workshop and prepares Gauguin for his arrival.
Start of nine weeks of intense joint work.
The Yellow House, workshop and refuge
The little yellow house, Place Lamartine, became the heart of the project in the fall of 1888. Vincent set up his workshop there on September 17. To prepare for Gauguin's arrival, he wanted to decorate the walls and the guest room.
His big idea: a decoration made "just large sunflowers". The sunflower canvases, painted in Arles in the summer of 1888, were to welcome Gauguin and show him the color of which Vincent was capable. Gauguin, seduced, later demanded some, which sparked a heated dispute by letter in the spring of 1889.
Next to the sunflowers, Vincent paints The room in October 1888: a manifesto of absolute rest through color, the symbolism of which he detailed in his letters to Théo and Gauguin of October 16 and 17, 1888.
They are not opposed on talent, but on painting
The Arlesian conflict is not a quarrel of people. It concerns a central question for modern art: should we paint what we see, or what we remember and feel?
On the pattern or memory
Vincent works outdoors, captured by the light of the South. Gauguin recomposes in the workshop, based on memories, drawings and imaginations.
Expressive or symbolic color
For Vincent, arbitrary color reinforces a sensation experienced. For Gauguin, it condenses a meaning, a legend, an inner emotion.
From reality to symbol
Gauguin comes from Pont-Aven, where he painted the Vision after the sermon. Vincent admires his audacity but refuses to let the painting be cut off from experience.
Crossed portraits and exchanged paintings
The two painters paint each other and offer each other canvases. Each painting is a message: a self-portrait to introduce oneself, a portrait of the other to try to understand them.
Gauguin by Vincent, 1888
Vincent paints his companion during the Arlesian stay. The vibrant touch reflects his admiration as well as his tension. Photograph of the painting, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Gauguin, "Les Misérables", 1888
Self-portrait sent to Vincent before Arles, where Gauguin shows himself as a cursed artist. Public domain.
Vincent, dedicated self-portrait, 1888
Vincent responds with a self-portrait in "bonze", offered to Gauguin to seal the joint project. Public domain.
Lieutenant Milliet, 1888
Arlesian friend of Vincent, Milliet takes drawings to the neighborhood to distribute them. Public domain.
A jealousy told in still life
In December 1888, Vincent painted a pair that had become famous: his own chair, sober and peasant, and Gauguin's chair, more ceremonious, with books and a candle. Two still lifes which say, without a human figure, two temperaments and two ways of painting.
Vincent van Gogh
Paul Gauguin
The confrontation culminates when Gauguin paints Vincent van Gogh painting sunflowers. Vincent recognizes himself as "tired and charged with electricity"; according to Gauguin's account, he also declared: "It's really me, but he's gone crazy."
The abrupt end of a workshop
Cohabitation is running out. Added to the arguments over painting are fatigue, absinthe and Vincent's already fragile mental state. On December 23, 1888, after an argument more heated than the others with Gauguin, Vincent was found in his bed, his left ear cut off.
According to Gauguin's testimony retained by the Van Gogh museum, Vincent threatened him with a razor before Gauguin moved away; left alone, Vincent then turns the weapon against him and brings a fragment of his ear to a young employee of a neighboring brothel. Several hypotheses still circulate about the exact course.
Vincent was admitted to the hospital the next day, treated by Doctor Rey, whose portrait he painted. Théo runs from Paris and leaves on Christmas Day, accompanying Gauguin. The Midi workshop did not survive the winter of 1888.
"The Midi Workshop"A community dream extinguished in December 1888
Two destinies, a common posterity
After Arles, the two painters never saw each other again. Vincent, hospitalized then treated in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, painted there Starry Night and the cypresses. Gauguin returned to Brittany, then to Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands, where he died in 1903.
Their brief cohabitation leaves a lasting mark. With Cézanne, they formed the triad that art history calls post-impressionism, from which Fauvism, expressionism and a large part of modern painting of the 20th century emerged.
Six benchmarks to understand
| Date | Marker | What it illuminates |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 1888 | Installation in Arles | Vincent seeks the light of the South and prepares a workshop. |
| 21 -22 August 1888 | Sunflowers | Letter to Théo on the decoration of the Yellow House. |
| 16 -17 Oct. 1888 | The room | Letters to Théo and Gauguin on the symbolism of colors. |
| Oct 23, 1888 | Arrival of Gauguin | Start of joint work and the Alyscamps series. |
| ~ Dec. 1888 | Correspondence | Crossed self-portraits, the two chairs, "Van Gogh painting sunflowers". |
| Dec 23. 1888 | The breakup | Argument, crisis, departure of Gauguin; the Midi workshop ends. |
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See the collectionVan Gogh and Gauguin in Arles
When did Van Gogh and Gauguin live together?
From October 23 to December 23, 1888, approximately nine weeks, in the Yellow House of Arles.
Why did Gauguin come to Arles?
Vincent dreamed of a "atelier du Midi" and invited him. The correspondence between the two painters and the support of Théo van Gogh, who helped finance the trip, made the stay possible.
What were they working on together?
Notably the Alyscamps series, portraits and decorative projects for the Yellow House, including the Sunflowers intended for Gauguin's bedroom.
What does "Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers" represent?
It's a painting by Gauguin (December 1888) showing Vincent at work. Vincent recognizes himself as "tired and charged with electricity".
Why did their cohabitation fail?
Their methods oppose each other - painting on the motif versus painting from memory - and the tension, aggravated by Vincent's fragile health, resulted in the crisis of December 23, 1888.
What happened on December 23, 1888?
After an argument with Gauguin, Vincent severed his left ear. The exact circumstances are still the subject of several hypotheses. He was treated at Arles hospital by Doctor Rey.
Where to see works from this period?
Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam), Musée d'Orsay (Paris), Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and National Gallery (London), among other institutions.
Are reproductions royalty free?
The paintings of Van Gogh and Gauguin are in the public domain. Photographs of these works can be under a free license (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA) depending on the institution.
Three things that the nine weeks of Arles changed
Far from being a pure failure, the cohabitation of 1888 left lasting traces in Vincent's method. Beyond the rupture, the Midi workshop functioned as an accelerator.
The exchange with Gauguin pushes Vincent to systematize the complementary - blue/orange, red/green - which he theorizes in his letters to Théo.
Sunflowers, Lullaby, Alyscamps: Vincent adopts the logic of variations around a motif, like a workshop which multiplies the tests.
The exchange of dedicated self-portraits makes the portrait an act of self-definition: "This is who I am", says the canvas, as much as it represents the other.
The Yellow House, day by day
Nine weeks of cohabitation, and almost as many masterpieces. Here, in order, are the key moments of Gauguin's stay in Arles, such as the letters and paintings allow us to reconstruct them.
Gauguin arrives at Arles station late in the evening and discovers the Room prepared for him. The experience of the "atelier du Midi" begins.
The two painters work side by side on the Alyscamps series, these alleys of ancient tombs in Arles. Same motif, two writings.
Gauguin and Vincent write together to Émile Bernard. The page becomes the scene of a hoped-for community of artists.
Exchange of dedicated self-portraits; Madame Ginoux poses for the two painters. Rivalry stimulates production.
Gauguin paints Vincent at work. Vincent recognizes himself as "tired and charged with electricity", and, tradition says, "go crazy".
Vincent paints his chair and that of Gauguin: two still lifes which speak, without a human figure, of two temperaments.
After an argument, Vincent cuts off his ear. Gauguin leaves Arles the next day, Christmas Day, with Théo. The Midi workshop goes out.
"My dear friend Bernard"Vincent's recurring formula during the fall of 1888
Go to texts and works
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - collection.
- The Letters of Vincent van Gogh - Van Gogh Museum scholarly edition /Huygens ING.
- Wikipedia (en) - Vincent van Gogh, Arlesian biography and chronology.
- Wikipedia (fr) - Paul Gauguin, stay in Arles and synthesis.
- Wikipedia (fr) - Van Gogh's Room in Arles, letters dated October 16 -17, 1888.
- Wikipedia (en) - Sunflowers (Van Gogh series), decoration of the Yellow House.
- The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum edition /Huygens ING.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art - L'Arlésienne, Madame Ginoux.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art - La Berceuse (Augustine Roulin).
- Art Institute of Chicago - The Bedroom.
- Art Institute of Chicago - Self-Portrait.
- Art Institute of Chicago - The Poet's Garden.
- MoMA - Washerwomen on the banks of the canal (Gauguin, Arles 1888).
The works of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin are in the public domain. Reproductions come from Wikimedia Commons (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA as applicable). The citations are deliberately short and are based on reference editions.
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