Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night by Vincent van Gogh

After a summer of painting in the sunny fields, Vincent van Gogh began to explore the potential of plein air painting at night. The result is Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night, which van Gogh completed in 1888.

Vincent van Gogh's Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night, 1888
Vincent van Gogh's Café Terrace on the Place
du Forum, Arles, at Night is an oil on canvas
(32x25-3/4 inches) that is housed in the
Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.

The café offered a study in contrasts: the glow of the gas-lit square and the dark sky illuminated with stars. Vincent described the painting as "a night picture without any black in it" and admitted, "it amuses me enormously to paint the night right on the spot."

Vincent van Gogh found new inspiration in the color palette of the Arles, France, winter countryside. Continue to the next section to learn about van Gogh's Landscape with Snow.

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