48
The Arlésienne, 1890
In popular culture of the time, the women of Arles were celebrated for their raven-haired beauty. Van Gogh painted five versions of this Arlésienne (woman from Arles). The model, Marie Ginoux (1848-1911), who ran the local café, had originally posed for Van Gogh and Gauguin in November 1888. Later, when in Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh based his quintessential Provençale on the simplified lines of a charcoal drawing Gauguin had made during the sitting. He added two of his favourite books: Charles Dickens's Christmas Stories, 1843-8, and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s now controversial anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1852. In a letter to Gauguin, Van Gogh called the image ‘a synthesis of an Arlésienne’. He presented one (47) to his friend Emile Bernard, one to Theo and another to Gauguin himself, thus ensuring the paintings would be seen by artists in Paris.
Oil on canvas
Private collection