La Berceuse

Essay # 5770

Art > Artists
Art > Painting

La Berceuse

A critical look at the artistic features of Vincent Van Gogh's painting "La Berceuse".

2,200 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2001 United States

↶ Look Inside

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes this famous painting. It takes the reader on an historic journey through Van Gogh's life and how this painting reflects something personal as it is a portrait of his good friend's wife. Points analyzed about the painting include color, texture, light, technique, figure style, artistic composition and symbolism.

From the Paper:

"La Berceuse is a portrait of Van Gogh postman's wife Augustine Roulin in 1889. It is one of the seventeen series of portraits that included his postman, Joseph Roulin and his three children. Van Gogh struck up a friendship with the Roulins while his stay in Arles and painted them more often than anyone other than himself thus revealing that Van Gogh had a soft corner for the Roulin family and more so for Joesph Roulin himself given the fact that Joesph had a certain tenderness for him as evident from one of Van's letters to his brother Theo. Van Gogh was indebted to the Roulins in more ways than one as they readily welcomed him into their home and took care of him when he was hospitalized for cutting off his earlobe during a quarrel with another artist, Paul Gaugin. Van Gogh repaid them for their kindness by doing numerous portraits of the Roulin family."