Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine

Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine

   The Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine is a real painting done by Vincent Van Gogh. This painting is mentioned in the book, Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick. Van Gogh would often visit this cafe, owned by his good friends, Madame and Monsieur Ginoux. Van Gogh lived in the top floor of this cafe, and later gave this painting to the Ginoux's as his rent.
  The gloomy ambience shown through this painting portrays Van Gogh's perspective of the solemn and serious customers of the cafe. Van Gogh describes this cafe as a place where people can "ruin themselves," which explains the tired and melancholy customers.
  This painting was finished in September of 1888. Van Gogh used oil on canvas to complete this painting. The painting focuses on the large pool table in the middle of the cafe, as the dim lights shine upon them to create a slight shadow underneath. The tired customers are seen on the sides without any faces. Van Gogh uses light strokes to paint the rays of light that are shone through the lamps on the ceiling. The radiating light emphasizes how it contributes to the environment of the cafe in significant ways.
  This painting is now located in the Yale University Art Gallery.