"Bedroom in Arles" by Vincent van Gogh — History, Analysis & Where to See It

Bedroom in Arles: Van Gogh's Vision of Rest and Color

Bedroom in Arles is one of Vincent van Gogh's most personal and intimate paintings. Created in October 1888, this depiction of his own bedroom in the Yellow House in Arles was intended to express "absolute restfulness" through color alone — a radical idea that placed Van Gogh at the forefront of Post-Impressionist innovation.

Now on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the painting reveals both the artist's ambition to create art that conveyed pure emotion through color and the underlying loneliness of his life in the south of France.

The Story Behind Bedroom in Arles

Van Gogh rented the famous Yellow House on Place Lamartine in Arles beginning in May 1888. He saw it as the foundation for his dream of an artists' community in the south. When Paul Gauguin finally confirmed he would visit, Van Gogh threw himself into decorating the house, painting the Sunflowers for Gauguin's bedroom and creating this painting of his own room.

Van Gogh described the painting in meticulous detail in a letter to his brother Theo in October 1888: "This time it's just simply my bedroom, only here colour is to do everything, and giving by its simplification a grander style to things, is to be suggestive here of rest or of sleep in general." He listed the colors carefully: the walls are pale violet, the floor red tiles, the bed and chairs yellow like fresh butter, the sheet and pillow light greenish citron, the blanket scarlet.

The room's sharply skewed perspective, with the floor seeming to tilt toward the viewer and the back wall receding at odd angles, was partly a result of the room's actual irregular shape (it was trapezoidal, not rectangular) and partly an artistic choice that gives the scene a dreamlike quality. Van Gogh was aware of the distortion and chose to embrace rather than correct it.

Van Gogh was so attached to this composition that he painted three versions. The first (October 1888, Van Gogh Museum) was damaged by flooding while Van Gogh was hospitalized. He then painted two copies in September 1889 while at the asylum in Saint-Rémy: one for his mother and sister (now at the Art Institute of Chicago) and another for himself (now at the Musée d'Orsay).

Artistic Analysis: Technique & Style

Color as Emotion

Van Gogh intended the painting to express "rest" and "sleep" purely through its color harmonies. The dominant pairing of blue (walls) and yellow-orange (bed, chairs) creates a complementary color contrast that is simultaneously vibrant and soothing. Van Gogh explicitly avoided shadows and used flat areas of color, an approach inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. The result is a painting that operates more like a mood than a description — you feel the stillness of the room before you register its contents.

Distorted Perspective

The room's perspective is noticeably warped: the back wall is narrower than the front, the floor tilts sharply, and the furniture seems to lean in different directions. While partly caused by the room's actual trapezoidal shape, Van Gogh exaggerated these distortions to create a dreamlike, slightly vertiginous effect. This deliberate rejection of correct perspective anticipated the spatial distortions of Expressionism and Fauvism.

Japanese Influence

Van Gogh was deeply influenced by Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e), which he collected avidly. The Bedroom's flat areas of unmodulated color, bold outlines, and absence of shadows all reflect this Japanese aesthetic. Van Gogh even hung Japanese prints on the walls of his actual bedroom in Arles, and two of them are visible in the painting — a deliberate homage to the art that had transformed his approach to color and composition.

Personal Symbolism

Every object in the room carries personal significance. The two pillows on the bed and two chairs facing each other have been interpreted as symbols of Van Gogh's hope for companionship — a second person to share his artistic life. The paintings on the walls include his own self-portrait and a portrait of a friend. The neat, orderly arrangement of the room represents the calm, stable life Van Gogh desperately sought but rarely achieved.

Where to See Bedroom in Arles

The first version of Bedroom in Arles is permanently displayed at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The second version is at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the third is at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

The Van Gogh Museum is open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Fridays until 9:00 PM). Timed-entry tickets are required and should be booked in advance, as the museum frequently sells out. General admission is €20.

If you use ArtScan at the Van Gogh Museum, you can identify Bedroom in Arles and every other painting you encounter — getting instant artist information, historical context, and details about the techniques used, all in your preferred language.

Fun Facts About Bedroom in Arles

• Van Gogh painted three versions. The first was damaged by flooding in Arles. Van Gogh then painted two careful copies while recovering at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in 1889.
• The colors have changed over time. The walls, which Van Gogh described as "pale violet," now appear more blue. Scientific analysis has shown that the red pigment mixed into the blue has faded, shifting the color from the warm violet Van Gogh intended to a cooler blue.
• The room was real but oddly shaped. Van Gogh's bedroom in the Yellow House was trapezoidal — the far wall was narrower than the wall with the door. This unusual shape contributed to the painting's distinctive distorted perspective.
• Japanese prints hang on the wall. The two small pictures visible above the bed in the painting are actual Japanese woodblock prints that Van Gogh had hung in his room, reflecting his deep admiration for Japanese art.
• The Art Institute of Chicago recreated it. In 2016, the Art Institute of Chicago built a full-scale replica of Van Gogh's bedroom, complete with furniture and decorations matching the painting. Visitors could book an overnight stay through Airbnb.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Bedroom in Arles displayed?

The first version is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The second is at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the third is at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Who painted Bedroom in Arles?

Vincent van Gogh painted the first version in October 1888 and two copies in September 1889.

Why did Van Gogh paint his bedroom?

Van Gogh wanted to express the feeling of "absolute restfulness" through color. He was also proud of having his own home (the Yellow House) for the first time and painted the room as a celebration of this domestic stability.

Why does the perspective look distorted?

The room was actually trapezoidal in shape, with the far wall narrower than the front wall. Van Gogh exaggerated this distortion rather than correcting it, creating the dreamlike, slightly off-kilter perspective that gives the painting its distinctive character.

Why are there three versions?

The original was damaged by flooding while Van Gogh was hospitalized after his mental breakdown in December 1888. He painted two copies while recovering at the asylum in Saint-Rémy in 1889: one for his mother and sister, and one to keep.

What happened to the actual Yellow House?

The Yellow House at 2 Place Lamartine in Arles was severely damaged by Allied bombing in June 1944 during World War II and was subsequently demolished. A plaque marks the site today.