Bedroom in Arles by Vincent Van Gogh

Bedroom in Arles, 1888

Bedroom in Arles, 1889

If you happen to visit Amsterdam, perhaps you can drive away from the Red Light district for a while and visit the Van Gogh Museum. The museum houses countless paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and some other artists whom he influenced and who influenced him. Ninety-five percent of the paintings and sketches in the museum were all created by such a prolific artist. Some of his other paintings (such as the Starry Night) were not even there.

Other than painting a portrait of himself over and over again, Van Gogh is seemingly fond of recreating his artworks. One example is the Bedroom in Arles which he painted three times (once in 1888 and twice in 1889). The museum, however, only housed two of the three paintings. What is worth-mentioning is that, he originally painted Bedroom in Arles in 1888 when he still was psychology stable. A year later, he unfortunately lost his sanity. Once again he painted his bedroom. The strokes and play of colors in the 1889 painting were messier but more dynamic. It seemed to me that insanity unleashed the genius in Van Gogh.