Why do you think Vincent van Gogh painted this landscape? Was
it just because he thought it would look pretty, or is there a deeper meaning?
At the time, the artist was living in Arles, France, to seek refuge from his
drinking and smoker’s cough. The painting depicts a landscape with the ruins of
Montmajour Abbey in the background. When one thinks of ruins, we think destruction
or sadness. Knowing this, it could clue us in on how he felt. Maybe, he was
feeling that same sadness, and wanted to document it, so that others would
understand. Or, perhaps he just thought it would be an interesting painting
that would sell quickly.
In research I also found, it talked
about how, at first, he didn’t like the town of Arles, and how it seemed dirty,
exotic, and like a totally foreign country. As compared to many of his other
paintings, the paintings that he created in Arles had much or yellow tones in
them, which often symbolizes happiness. However, this painting shows very
little yellow, and mainly showcases green and blue. Another thing I noticed from the other
paintings from Arles was that many of the rooms were almost empty of furniture
less, which could tell us how he felt empty. All of these factors could give us
hints as to his original intention when painting Sunset at Montmajour.
Link to research I used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh#Paris_.281886.E2.80.931888.29, http://www.vangoghgallery.com/
