Van Gogh's Terrace of a Café at Night: A Masterpiece of Color and Observation

Vincent van Gogh's Terrace of a Café at Night, painted in 1888, is housed in the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands. The oil on canvas, measuring 80.7 by 65.3 cm, depicts a nocturnal scene in Arles, France, with a brightly lit café on the left, cobblestones receding into the background, and four pedestrians in the midground. Van Gogh used vibrant yellows, oranges, and greens for the café and deep cobalt blue for the sky, deviating from traditional black-and-white night scenes. His color theory, expressed in a letter to his brother Theo on October 10, 1888, held that gaslight intensifies blue. The painting's stars accurately reflect the night sky of September 16, 1888, as confirmed by astronomical research. The café was located in the Place du Forum, a real setting, and the figures and horse were observed from life. The work exemplifies Van Gogh's subjective expression and French Post-Impressionism.