Art Analysis on Cafe Terrace at Night

 Art Analysis on Cafe Terrace at Night

Cafe Terrace at Night, by Vincent Van Gogh. https://www.vincentvangogh.org/cafe-at-night.jsp 

  Introduction

  Cafe Terrace at Night was created in 1888, by Vincent Van Gogh in Arles, France. He painted it at night in the middle of September. Vincent Van Gogh is known for his work of art the Starry Night. The Cafe Terrace at Night was his first work of art representing his love for the night sky lit up with stars. 

Elements of Art

    The colors in the painting give the illusion of warm yellow lights outside coming through the windows. The shading of the black on the ground, gives the look of a bumpy textured sidewalk. It shows how he used color to give the impression of spacing, as it is darker in the background but you can still see the buildings. The touch of green from the one tree on the right side brings the whole thing together and shows a pop of color rather than the blues and yellows. 

    Although you can't see anyone's facial expressions in the painting itself, everyone being together at the cafe shows friendliness and happiness amongst them. The people in the background walking by, show that he put a lot of thought into his painting and wanted to show the whole picture. The lit up windows in the buildings in the back show that it is an actual moment in time and that there were most likely people in those buildings. All of the different shapes in the painting put together show this wonderful image of Cafe Terrace at Night. There are angles in the roof above the cafe, which shows how hard he worked to really make this piece come to life. 

He is capturing the picture from afar, you can tell as we have a view of the cafe from a perspective not amongst the others there. The placement choice gives us the idea that the cafe is a warm welcoming place for everyone. The stars in the beautiful night sky from his point of view give a sense of calmness, as seeing the stars at night is relaxing.  

References

Van Gogh Studio. “Café Terrace at Night by Vincent van Gogh.” Van Gogh Reproductions, Hand-Painted in Oil on Canvas | van Gogh Studio., Van Gogh reproductions, hand-painted in oil on canvas | Van Gogh Studio., 21 Dec. 2016, www.vangoghstudio.com/cafe-terrace-at-night-by-vincent-van-gogh/. 

vincentvangogh.org. “10 Facts That You Don’t Know about van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night.” Henri Matisse, 2013, www.vincentvangogh.org/cafe-at-night.jsp.