Van Gogh in Arles: Portraits of a Fading Light

Walking into the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I expected to see amazing art. What I didn’t expect was to step into the final years of an artist’s life—marked by creative brilliance and personal pain.

Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits is more than a showcase—it’s an emotional journey through the eyes of an artist seeking connection and stability. In 1888, at a crossroads in his life, Van Gogh arrived in Arles, France, hoping to build a community of artists and return to a simpler life. Though dreams of becoming a husband and father had faded, he remained devoted to capturing not just faces, but the spirit of those he painted.

“I would like to do portraits which would look like apparitions to people a century later,” he once wrote. “Not photographic resemblance, but passionate expression.”

The Roulin family—Joseph, the local postman; his wife, Augustine; and their children—were each painted multiple times by Van Gogh, not for profit, but out of heartfelt fondness. In their steady presence, he found something he sorely lacked: a sense of belonging.

A gallery titled The Roulin Family immerses visitors in a series of portraits. Though the faces remain the same, each canvas reveals something new—subtle shifts in color, mood, and brushwork. These works chart Van Gogh’s evolving process, guiding viewers from initial sketches to layered oil paintings, each iteration deepening in technical refinement.

A full-scale replica of his studio is the centerpiece of the exhibit, surrounded by vibrant scenes from Arles, including the iconic Yellow House (The Street). Soft lighting and purple walls make the images and colors come to life, balancing the details of the subject and background without one overshadowing the other.

But the cracks begin to show. After a falling out with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh suffered a breakdown and famously cut off his ear. A moving section titled Letters from the Postman features Joseph Roulin’s correspondence to Vincent and his brother, Theo—offering updates and quiet encouragement during a time of unraveling.

In the final gallery, Enduring Legacy: Beyond Arles, the focus shifts to later works like Self-Portrait and The Bedroom, created during his time in the asylum. These pieces reveal how Van Gogh clung to his art, navigating emotional turmoil just months before his death.

As the Observer noted, “It is heartbreaking to read those missives and equally heartbreaking to see his paintings, glowing with energy and purpose.” Van Gogh once wrote, “Time does not return, but I am dead set on my work... During the attacks, I feel a coward before the pain and suffering—more of a coward than I ought to be…”

The exhibit ends with photographs of the Roulin family—older, yet familiar—reminding us that the love portrayed in Van Gogh’s portraits lived on. What stays with us isn’t just the brushstrokes or colors, but the core message of the exhibit: that art—and the connections it celebrates—can help us navigate even the darkest times.