Cafe Terrace at Night

Much has been written about the troubled life of Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. A loner who was largely ignored by the art critics during his life, Van Gogh was a prolific painter who created thousands of works during his 37 years on earth. Today, some of his works can fetch millions from art collectors as he is now regarded as one of the great masters of the art world. One of Van Gogh's most significant works is Cafe Terrace at Night.

Cafe Terrace at Night was one of Vincent Van Gogh's latest works. The multi-colored oil painting was composed on industrially primed canvas in 1888, just two years before he would ultimately take his own life. The brilliant work was one of 3 paintings created around the same time that featured an unusual yet very captivating depiction of the night. His most famous of the trilogy of paintings was Starry Night and he also is well known for Starry Night Over The Rhone. While these paintings are often referred to as the Van Gogh Trilogy, in fact, there was no intention to create a series of similar paintings.

Van Gogh was very unique and often difficult to understand by his contemporaries. He could produce complete works of art in a matter of hours and the brush strokes and use of colors made his works easily identifiable to even the most casual of art connoisseurs.

Van Gogh had a fascination with creating paintings of the night. He was able to use colors other than black to bring out the nighttime sky and create an image that came to life under the cover of darkness. He was unlike other artists in that when he wanted to paint a night scene he would take out his palette and canvas and work in the dark with out the benefit of much light. Most other artists would sketch a general outline of the image at night and then paint it during the day when the sun provided all of the direct light to see the particular colors of paint that would be used for the painting.

Cafe Terrace at Night depicts a street cafe in Arles, France. He set up his easel on a corner across from the cafe and today,, visitors can stand in the same exact spot and imagine how he worked. The cafe is still part of the city of Arles. Working with a variety of colors including shades of blue and green as well as bright oranges, yellows and purples, he was able to recreate the atmosphere of the Cafe Terrace at Night. The use of colors and composition naturally draws the viewer's eye to the center of the masterpiece, but it does not seem at all forced. There is something of a tranquil and relaxed feeling when you observe the outdoor tables, customers and star-lit sky that illuminates the scene.

Vincent Van Gogh may be remembered as the artist who cut off his ear by most, but he also must be credited with leading the way in post-impressionism and being responsible for some of the most sought after masterpieces in the world of art.