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Van Gogh in Arles
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At the back of the RA©attu museum, lanterns line the river wall where
Van Gogh
used to wander, wearing candles on his hat, watching the night-time light:
The Starry Night
is the RhA?ne at Arles. Much of the riverfront and its bars and bistros were destroyed during World War II. Another casualty of the bombing was the "Yellow House" on place Lamartine, where the artist lived before entering the hospital at St-RA©my. However, the cafA© painted in
CafA© de Nuit
still stands in place du Forum. Van Gogh had arrived by train in February 1888 to be greeted by snow and a bitter mistral wind. But he started painting straight away, and in this period produced such celebrated canvases as
The Sunflowers, Van Gogh's Chair
,
The Red Vines
and
The Sower
. Van Gogh found few kindred souls in Arles and finally managed to persuade Gauguin to join him. No one knows what provoked the frenzied attack on his friend and the self-mutilation. He was packed off to the HA?tel-Dieu hospital on rue du PrA©sident-Wilson down from the MusA©e Arlaten, now the
Espace Van Gogh
, an academic and cultural centre with arty shops in its arcades and courtyard flower beds recreated according to Van Gogh's painting and descriptions of the hospital garden.
Arles has none of the artist's works but the
Fondation Vincent Van Gogh
(June-Sept daily 9am-7pm; rest of year Tues-Sun 9am-noon & 2-6.30pm; 30F/a?¬4.58), facing the ArA?nes at 26 Rond-Point des ArA?nes, exhibits works by contemporary artists inspired by Van Gogh, including Francis Bacon, Jasper Johns, Hockney and Lichtenstein. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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