Déjà Vu … revisiting Van Gogh’s Arles in daytime …

 

En route to the French Riviera we DSC_0568 (Medium)returned to Arles to reacquaint ourselves with some of the former haunts of Van Gogh. 

 

 

Van Gogh, who left Paris in search of  warmer DSC_0580 (Medium)temperatures arrived in Arles in February 1888 to snow! His older brother, Theo, was the only one in his family who fully appreciated his talent. This is said to be  part of the reason why Van Gogh dropped his last name and simply began signing his work, Vincent.

Rather than be disheartened by the weather that greeted him on his arrival, it is said the painter DSC_0577 (Medium)set out to paint what he observed looking out the window of the room he rented. He lived in The Yellow House which he also painted during his stay. It is during his time in Arles that Van Gogh began incorporating the golden colours later made famous in Sunflowers. 

 

Van Gogh stayed in Arles for two years, leaving DSC_0539 (Medium)behind some 200 paintings, 100 drawings and watercolours and more than 200 letters.  During his lifetime Van Gogh only sold two paintings.  He left Arles for Saint Remy de Provence to rest and took comfort in knowing his work was gaining ground.

While I was busy shopping for Van Gogh reproductions, the boys visited the Roman Amphitheatre of Arles. One of the top 20 coliseums remaining, it was built around 90 AD, has two tiers, 60 arches and can seat 20,000 spectators. It is still in use today as a venue to host special events and bull fights. There is a major project underway to restore the coliseum to its former granduer.

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