Painted on the street at night, Van Gogh reproduced the scene directly from his observations, a practice he adopted from the Impressionists.
This was one of the scenes Van Gogh painted during his stay in Arles and a painting in which he made use of its powerful nighttime background. By using contrasting colors and tones, Van Gogh achieved a luminous surface that pulsates with inner light despite the darkening sky. The compositional directions all point to the center of the work, drawing the eye along the sidewalk as if the viewer is strolling through the cobblestone streets. The café still exists today and is a "pilgrimage site" for Van Gogh fans visiting the south of France. In a letter to his sister, he described this painting by saying, "Here you have a night painting with no black, with nothing but beautiful blues and purples and greens, and in this setting the illuminated area turns itself sulfur yellow and lemon green. It amuses me enormous to paint the night on the spot..." Painted on the street at night, Van Gogh reproduced the scene directly from his observations, a practice he adopted from the Impressionists. Unlike the Impressionists, however, he not only recorded the scene as his eye saw it, but also gave the image a spiritual and psychological tone that reflected his individual and personal reaction. The brush strokes vibrate with the excitement and joy that Van Gogh felt while painting this work.