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The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum (blog post #2)

Arles at night, what most people would call an incredibly beautiful scene. The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, or The Cafe Terrace for short, was one of the first paintings Van Gogh crafted while staying in Arles, France. It was also the first painting where Van Gogh used a nocturnal background and a starry night sky. Van Gogh painted this iconic scene in mid September of 1888, and there had always been some speculation on the sanity of this man. It wasn't until December of 1988 when Van Gogh began his stay in the Hotel Dieu and Saint Paul de Mausole, where some of his most iconic works were made. 
So to begin, I believe it is fair to say that many of Van Gogh's creations have been overanalyzed and completely picked apart over the course of history. I believe that it could be symbolic of something religious, but it could also just be a peaceful night in Arles that Van Gogh never wanted to forget. 
I personally really enjoy this style of painting, the brush strokes and colors are very calming and peaceful, and the first time I saw this painting I felt almost at home in a way. I have never been to France, but something about it speaks to my soul, as cheesy as that sounds. The atmosphere seems relaxed and free. It's easy to get lost in pieces like this, with the center so far back it almost feels like I am walking down the cobblestone sidewalk. 
We talked about Starry Night in class, and how the stars in the sky were so much bigger than what they would have looked like in real life, which to me, brings about a sense of magic. The characters on the streets bring a feeling of life to the painting. The colors used are on the darker side, but the use of yellow makes it feel warm and almost like the sun is out, even though there are stars in the sky. 
Going back to my earlier mention of Van Gogh's art being over analyzed and even over read, I find that many people think that this painting is symbolic of DaVinci's The Last Supper, which it very well could be, but as mentioned before, it could also be a beautiful night in Arles that Van Gogh wanted to remember. Either way, I find this to be one of my favorite works by Van Gogh, solely based off of the color scheme, to me these colors are so calming, and beautiful. They compliment each other very nicely.

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