Speakasso › Paintings › Bedroom in Arles
Bedroom in Arles
Vincent van Gogh, 1888
In autumn 1888 Van Gogh finally had a home of his own, the Yellow House in Arles, and one of the first things he painted was his bedroom. He told his brother Theo the picture should suggest rest, 'for the head, or rather the imagination'. The furniture is plain wood, the walls pale violet, the floor reddish. The odd angles are not a mistake: the room really was lopsided. He liked the motif so much he painted two more versions, one for his mother and sister.
What is in the painting
- Tilted walls. The room seems to lean — floor and walls meet at odd angles.
- Two portraits. Small framed pictures hang above the bed.
- Empty chairs. Two plain wooden chairs stand on opposite sides of the room.
Did you know? The walls were originally violet, not blue: the red pigment has faded over time, cooling the whole room down.
About the painting
- Artist
- Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)
- Year
- 1888
- Style
- Post-Impressionism
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 72.4 × 91.3 cm
- Where to see it
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
How to describe it in Speakasso
In Speakasso you describe the painting in your own words and an AI draws it again. These words are forbidden in this round — each one costs 15 points:
A description that scores high
A small, simple room seen from the doorway, with walls and floor meeting at odd, tilted angles. On the right, a big plain yellow wooden sleeping frame with a red cover and two pillows fills the corner, two small framed portraits above it. Two plain wooden seats with straw bottoms stand on opposite sides. At the back, half-open green shutters. Pale violet walls, reddish floor. Flat bold colors, thick outlines.
The tricky part: Call the furniture a plain yellow wooden sleeping frame with a red cover, and two straw-bottomed wooden seats.
The method behind it: what is painted first, then where things are, then colour and light, then the style. Read the full guide
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