Van Gogh, Starry Night

The exhibition begins with the representation of the plays of light in northern Europe in the artist’s first paintings and then becomes more colourful. The rhythm of the seasons and fruit trees take the viewer into another world, thanks to the strong outlines and the colours in the compositions inspired by Japanese art. 

The exhibition then takes the viewer to Arles and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence: a new period in his work began with the discovery of the Provencal light. Van Gogh explored the region on foot and painted a series of landscapes, harvesting scenes, and portraits. The ‘Atelier du Midi’, conceived by Van Gogh, became the scene of his cooperation with Paul Gauguin and a confrontation between two radically opposed visions of art, and yet they shared a common preoccupation: a quest for authenticity in painting, and, in the palette of colours. After Gauguin travelled to Polynesia, Van Gogh remained in Provence: the tumultuous power of the sky, the cypress and olive trees reflects the painter’s tormented state of mind, conveyed by the bold lines and intensity of the colours. At the end of his life, Van Gogh left the sunny South of France for the plain of Auvers-sur-Oise, whose depictions with stormy skies reflected his inner torment. At the height of his artistic mastery, he depicted the village’s rural life and buildings in his works. Transported into the painter’s colourful world, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in a world in which the paintings are brought to life before their eyes.