Vincent van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace at Night Photo sourced from Wikimedia

10 Intriguing Facts about Café Terrace at Night by Vincent van Gogh


 

Café Terrace at Night is an 1888 oil on canvas painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. It is also known as The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, and, when first exhibited in 1891, was entitled Coffeehouse, in the evening. It brings to mind the sentiment expressed by Van Gogh when he said that “the night is more alive and more brightly colored than the day.”

The color is more vibrant, and the eye flits over the plunged or dovetailed borders of adjacent regions—irregular shapes that fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.Let’s take a look at some of the most intriguing facts about this masterpiece ;

1.Café Terrace at Night was never signed by the painter

A self- portrait of Vincent Van Gogh Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Even though it is a famous and popular painting, Van Gogh never signed “Café Terrace at Night.” However, he specifically mentioned the painting in three pieces of correspondence and letters to explain the painting, so art historians are confident that he painted it.

The countless letters that Vincent van Gogh wrote to his family, friends, and particularly his brother Theo are well-known. These letters provide information about Vincent’s artistic growth and the painting technique. This letters explain more about his paintings and most especially this painting which was never signed. 

Read more about Van Gogh’s paintings in 10 Most Famous Van Gogh Paintings to see before you Die

2.The painting’s most striking feature is the stark contrast between the warm colors

Vincent van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace at Night Photo sourced from Wikimedia

The painting’s most striking feature is the stark contrast between the warm colors under the marquise, which are yellow, green, and orange, and the deep blue of the starry sky, which is accentuated by the dark blue of the houses in the backdrop.

“I suppose that an abundance of gaslight, which, after all, is yellow and orange, amplifies blue,” said Van Gogh of the result. The colors out do the black of the night more so the blue in the background and the artist knew much about what he really felt about the night which he often referred as more beautiful than the day

3. The stars portrayed in this painting are astronomically correct 

Another fact about this painting is about the stars depicted in the painting.The stars portrayed in this painting are astronomically correct. The stars in the sky were painted by Vincent van Gogh exactly as they would have appeared on that specific night, which is one of the most fascinating details about Café Terrace at Night.

This also indicates that the precise night of September 17 and 18 of the year 1888, when Vincent van Gogh painted Café Terrace at Night, has been established by researchers. Such facts makes the painter one of the most popular painters because he painted things which are really. 

Read more about his other painting of starry night here

4.Though it was painted at night, there is no black used in the painting

Vincent van Gogh, Café Terrace at Night, 1888. Painting inside the Kroller Muller Museum Photo sourced from Wikimedia

There was no black used by Vincent. We are aware of his ardent admiration for the night, and that he once asserted that it was far more colorful than the day. The lamp that illuminates the patio accentuates the night’s colors, to which Vincent added:

The houses on a street that disappears beneath a star-studded blue sky have dark blue or violet gable ends and green trees. There is now a painting of night that isn’t black. With only stunning shades of blue, violet, and green, and in this setting, the illuminated square is a light sulfur or lemon green.

5.Van Cogh sketched out the scene before he began to paint

Another intriguing fact about this painting is that the painter Vincent Van Cough sketched out the scene before he began to paint. The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, which is on exhibit in a facsimile of the 1,400 square meter (15,000 square foot) mansion they lived in in France, has several drawings. 

It includes this drawing, which is currently on show at the Dallas Museum of Art.This collection includes works by well-known artists like Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne as well as numerous sculptures by renowned French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Read more about him here

6.Café Terrace at Night was the first painting which the painter used the starry background

Café Terrace at Night was the first painting which the painter used the starry backgrounds, he could later go on to paint star-filled skies in Starry Night Over the Rhône which was painted the same month as the first one and the better known The Starry Night which he painted a year later.

Van Gogh also painted a starlight background in Portrait of Eugène Boch. Van Gogh mentioned the Cafe Terrace painting in a letter written to Eugène Boch on 2 October 1888, writing he had painted “a view of the café on place du Forum, where we used to go, painted at night” (emphasis van Gogh’s).

7. The painter of Café Terrace at Night might have been inspired by another painter

The painter of Café Terrace at Night Vincent Van Gogh might have been inspired by another painter to before painting this master piece. Historians believe that the composition of the painting—with the narrow perspective and rich blue color palette—may have been based on the work of a fellow Post-Impressionist, Louis Anquetin.

Famous for his Cloisonne style, Anquetin created Avenue de Clichy: 5 PM one year prior to Van Gogh’s work, and there is a striking resemblance between the two pieces.Making the narrative a reality and easy to believe because of the similarity between the two works. 

8. The restaurant in the painting is still there and still open

Cafe Terrace Arles in present day Photo sourced from Wikimedia

While many of the sights depicted in this great paintings are no longer found there, the café from Van Gogh’s painting is not only still present but also still open. This popular restaurant was renovated in the 1990s to replicate its appearance in the well-known painting. 

It was also renamed Café Van Gogh to honor the artist whose paintings and achievements in the art world cannot be forgotten easily. His accomplishments are still there for all to see and this hotel and restaurant is one of the biggest examples of his legacy.

9.Café Terrace at Night was based on a real place unlike most paintings  

Van Gogh loved to paint from life, unlike his friend and creative competitor Gauguin, and The Café Terrace at Night was no exception. He placed his easel near the Place du Forum’s corner and painted the scene of a crowded neighborhood cafe that was artificially illuminated.

While he kept the majority of the area’s distinguishing characteristics, he did leave out some of the architecture and add his own personal touches to the mood.He was also careful to reflect the actual appearance of his skies, an aspect he is most loved for and which makes him one of the best artists. 

10.Café Terrace at Night has gone under several names before it was given its current title

Café Terrace at Night has gone under several names before it was given its current title. Before it became known as the Café Terrace at Night, the painting was exhibited under the title Coffeehouse, in the evening in 1891, and alternatively known as The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum.

The painting  Café Terrace at Night is in second place in the last of the top ten most reproduced works from 2000 to 2010.The painting is located in Otterlo, a town in Gelderland, Netherlands. It is displayed in the Kröller-Müller Museum along with other famous works such as ‘The Potato Eaters’ and ‘Road with Cypress and Star.