Van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace at Night

Van_Gogh_-_Terrasse_des_Cafés_an_der_Place_du_Forum_in_Arles_am_Abend1

Vincent Van Gogh’s “Cafe Terrace at Night” c.1888

Café Terrace at Night is an 1888 oil painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. It is also known as The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, and, when first exhibited in 1891, was entitled Coffeehouse, in the evening (Café, le soir).

Van Gogh painted Café Terrace at Night in Arles, France, in mid-September 1888. The painting is not signed, but described and mentioned by the artist in three letters.

Visitors to the site can stand at the northeastern corner of the Place du Forum, where the artist set up his easel. The site was refurbished in 1990 and 1991 to replicate van Gogh’s painting. He looked south towards the artificially lit terrace of the popular coffee house, as well as into the enforced darkness of the rue du Palais which led up to a building structure (to the left, not pictured) and, beyond this structure, the tower of a former church which is now Musée Lapidaire. The painting is currently at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.

Session 1

Working from a picture my client gave me I enlarged the original to fit the frame he provided that is 12 x 16″. On a gesso covered Masonite panel I sketch the outline in a medium gray oil paint mixed with turpentine. This is to establish the main shapes and proportions. Once this totally dries I will fill in the main shapes with a base color to match the original as closely as possible. This is the end of session 1.

Session 2

Still only using turp to thin the paint I fill in the main shapes. On this piece Van Gogh used mainly blue and orange since they are complimentary colors. I left some open spaces for position of figures to be added later. Once this session totally dries I will move on. This is the end of session 2.

Session 3

In this session I worked mainly on the center back area where there is a horseman and carriage. I also applied a second layer to the sky and noted the position of the stars with a small dab of medium gray paint. I redefined the buildings in the background and noted the window positions with orange paint. I added a light layer of gray paint for the sidewalk on the right side. I am working from 3 sources, the picture the client gave me, a photo of the original in a book I have on Van Gogh, and a pic from Wikepidia. By constantly comparing all 3 sources I will try to get the most accurate rendition I can. This is the end of session 3.

Session 4

Since the sky and buildings in the right background are not yet dry, I decided to work on the left background balconies and shutters. My purpose was to define the shapes and get the basic color value in place. Once dry I will adjust the color values and detail where necessary. I am only using turp to enhance drying and may begin using medium later. In the next session I will work down into the terrace roof to get the basic values in place. This is the end of session 4

Session 5

Today was a short session. I redefined the star locations with a weak scumble of flake white. I also defined the door jam on the left with ultramarine blue. In the foreground area I glazed a weak ultra blue as a base color. Also using flake white I enhanced the area around the shutters. This will all be left to dry before I paint over it.
This is the end of session 5.

Session 6

My goal in this session was to develop the area directly below the shutters. I redefined the brackets and the area under the awning. I also clearified the bracket which holds a light. Since Van Gogh used warm colors for the awing and wall I noticed that he added some green to areas; undoubtedly to help the area recede such as the far end of the terrace. I also added a little more ultra blue to the shutters. After painting in the floor, I wiped out the table tops as they are almost white on the original painting. During the next session it is time to rough in the figures to establish their positions. I also redefined the shops to the right of the 3 figures approaching the terrace. This is the end of session 6.

Session 7

This was a fairly short session where I redefined the buildings on the right, added ultra marine blue to the darker areas of the sky, and added dark tones to the door frame on the left. After closely examining the original, it looks like the horse and carriage in the far background is coming over a bridge so I redefined that area somewhat. I also added detail to the figures in the cafe and added orange/blue tones to the floor and foreground. I added cerulean blue to the buildings on the right leaving some blue under the area where the tree branches will go. I redefined the tables and chairs somewhat. This will be left to dry thoroughly before going on to the next session. This is the end of session 7.

Session 8

Another short session where my goal was to develop the foreground. I am attempting to get the same value range for this area and will better define the cobblestones later. I am using a mixture of cerulean blue, gray, with a touch of ultramarine blue for the foreground base color along with highlights of cadmium orange mixed with gray to kill its intensity. I plan on adding stronger highlights later. This is the end of session 8.

Session 9

Another short session where I added the tree on the right. I also added some highlights to the left door frame and worked the cobblestones in the foreground. I Redefined some of the figures. This is the end of session 9.

Session 10

My goal in this session was to further define the figures both in the street and at the tables. I went around the painting and added highlights to certain areas such as the windows on the far right and in the door way to the far left. I worked the awning by adding more cad yellow and more Sap green to the far end of the terrace to help establish better depth. I also redefined some of the chairs. This is the end of session 10.

Session 11

After this session I noticed that the changes are becoming barely noticeable. I corrected the position of the windows, added blue highlights to the buildings, and added dark shadows in the tree branches. I also better defined the doorway at the far end of the terrace with more sap green and defined edges around shapes to match the original. Lastly, I put down white as a base for lighter cobblestones to the right of the terrace and defined the light at the end of the bracket. This is the end of session 11.

Session 12

Using three different references I compared my copy to the originals. Two of my references are publications and the color varies a lot between them. So I used an original I found on the internet that seems to have the best colors. With that in mind I adjusted the sky by making some parts darker with a mixture of ultramarine blue + cerulean blue with a little flake white. Then I put highlights in the stars with white and naples yellow. I added white to the tabletops and redefined the lamp and bracket on the left. The cobblestones on the right needed more detail so I added some cadmium orange + white for better definition. I readjusted the back wall with sap green and cad yellow and added some small detail to the figures. Lastly, I added flake white + cad yellow for the highlights under the awning. I think that after the painting dries I will only need one more session to correct some minor details and will then let it thoroughly dry before varnishing it. This is the end of session 12.

Session 13

This session was spent adding small details not readily discernible but that match the original as close as possible. Once this session dries I will plan one more session as a last review/touch up. I will also put the painting in it’s frame and check the edges. This is the end of session 13.

Session 14

This session was spent closely scrutinizing the original and making any adjustments to my copy. I added some green to the tree branches with a mixture of cad yellow light + ivory black. I also redefined the shutters with a little ivory black. I added cad yellow highlights to the horse, light in the carriage, and to the cobblestones adjacent to the terrace on the right side. Some of the cobblestones needed better refining in the center foreground. Unless I notice any additional adjustments, this is the final painting session. I will let the surface totally dry and then add one or two layers of varnish to both bring out the colors and protect the surface.

Session 15

After a few touch-ups I let the painting dry sufficiently to be able to add varnish. Since only used turpentine to thin the paint it dried fairly quickly. After testing to make sure it was ready, I added two separate layers of Damar varnish a few days apart. Once it was dry I put it in the frame supplied by the client. I affixed the wire and added notes on the back. The next pic will include the reference picture the client provided although I found a few better pics of the original on the internet which served as my main references. This is the end of my Van Gogh copy Cafe on the Terrace.