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Primary sourcePaintingSeptember 1888

The Night Café

Vincent van Gogh · September 1888

An oil painting by Vincent van Gogh of a café interior in Arles, made in 1888 using violently clashing colours.

Painted by Van Gogh himself, who explained his intentions for it in detailed letters to his brother Theo.

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Painting of a dim café interior with red walls and a green billiard table in the center. A man in a white coat stands beside the table, and several patrons sit at small tables. Glowing yellow lamps hang from the ceiling, and a wall clock is visible.
Vincent van Gogh, The Night Café, September 1888. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven.

About this source

What it is

This painting was made by Vincent van Gogh in September 1888 in Arles, depicting the interior of the Café de la Gare, run by Joseph-Michel Ginoux. It is now held at the Yale University Art Gallery.

Why it matters

Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo that he wanted to use red and green to express 'the terrible passions of humanity' and show the café as a place where someone could 'ruin oneself, go mad or commit a crime.' The figures shown are described as tired patrons and down-and-outs, and the clashing colours were meant to create an unsettling, almost feverish atmosphere rather than a realistic one.

Look closer

  • Why might Van Gogh have chosen such strong, clashing colours instead of more natural ones?
  • What does the painting suggest about the people who spent their nights in this café?
  • How does the perspective, looking down toward the floor, change how you see the room?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Vincent van Gogh on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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