Van Gogh's "The Bedroom in Arles"

Upon arriving in Arles, Provence, Van Gogh finally found bright sunlight and shadowless light. In these joyful days, he quickly painted this bedroom featuring only color planes without shadows. Using the purest and most emotional colors (red, green, yellow, purple, blue, and pink) to flatten the picture plane, it resembles Japanese woodblock prints; each object has its own distinct contrasting color, making color the body of form and painting.

This orderly room was prepared to welcome Gauguin. Within this closed, intimate personal space, simple furniture is arranged with perspective: a bed, chair, table, paintings hanging on the walls, and tightly shut windows, revealing an empty space. The artist wrote, "I find it very interesting to have nothing inside," and added, "It is simply my bedroom. Only here can color do everything, creating a grandeur of things through its simplicity. It suggests a place for rest or sleep, with interplaying light and shadow, painted in flat color like Japanese woodblocks."