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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Travel Log: Southern France: Arles

As an art teacher who often used the Impressionist's work as examples for my students, I've always


wanted to go to Southern France, to catch a glimpse of what they saw and be inspired. I especially desired to visit Arles, where VanGogh painted many colorful canvases. So when the opportunity came to visit Provence with my sister, I jumped at the opportunity. We traveled by boat on the Rhone River, and it was everything and more than what I hoped for, not only in this town, but all along the river--vistas of ancient ruins, small clusters of terracotta roofed towns, fields of vineyards and sun shining on the blue waters.
Arles was saturated in colors--bright green vineyards, muted olive groves, bright blue skies, yellow cafes and pictures of sunflowers everywhere. Van Gogh's presence is felt strongly here. Our guide stopped at many markers which pictured the scenes he painted in the exact locations. We wove our way along the river and the scene where he painted Starry Night over the Rhone. Thought not as famous as the Starry Night, it is still beautiful. 


We turned into the town and quickly reached the area near Van Gogh's apartment. His yellow house, though no longer there, was bombed in WWII. However, the area still clung to all the other buildings in the painting as you can check for yourself. Also pictured was the painting of his bedroom, which is another piece I enjoy and had my students' learn about perspective from his room.

Our guide filled us in on the details of his fight with his friend, Gauguin and Vincent's desire to start an artist colony, which never happened. We saw the hospital where Vincent was sent to while he healed from cutting off his ear.

His painting was pictured on a placard and the scene was exactly the same except for a missing chicken coop.The replicas also include information about him during the time he painted the scenes and our guide answered all my questions. 

At last, we walked on cobblestoned streets to VanGogh square and the café he painted at night. The café though originally white was painted yellow to match Vincent's work. Arles profits much from Van Gogh's notoriety, though the former residents ran him out of town because they thought him crazy after he presented his ear as a gift to a woman who called the police. After four months, he was sent to a sanatorium further south. Though many of Van Gogh's most famous works, like Starry Night, were painted in St. Remy, I felt fulfilled walking along the sunny streets of Arles. At long last, my dream was fulfilled and I saw what and where VanGogh painted.


In our free time, I purchased a number of  Van Gogh related items: such as handbags and miniature paintings.  I also made my way to the open market and purchased two beautiful blouses and a straw basket. Arles was not only all about VanGogh. It boasts a rich history, for the history buff as well. We visited the Roman ruins of one of the largest outdoor amphitheaters in France built in the first century B.C. Though constructed much like the colosseum in Rome, it is only two stories high as opposed to four. However, it could hold up to 20,000 people and was very impressive as you can see in the picture. We also passed by the other Greek and Roman ruins and a roman bath. The church of St. Trophime is a wonderful example of Romanesque architecture built in the 13th and 14th century, pictured below. 

I loved everything about Arles, though I feel such a pang in my heart for the sad life VanGogh llived. As an artist, he was ahead of his time. I hope he is looking down from heaven and sees that indeed his paintings are masterpieces of color and light and that he is at peace.

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