Dance Hall in Arles Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

Description of Vincent van Gogh’s painting "The Dance Hall"

A representative of the current of Post-Impressionism, the artist departs from the concept of instantly conveying a sensual-emotional picture of the world. He tries to convey a profoundly philosophical sense of being. Minor details, rules of the physiological structure of the body and the central figures of the composition become unnecessary.

At the forefront of the transfer of information with the help of color spots with the conventional designation of figures and faces. The main semantic load now is carried by the color and general filling of the picture.

"Dance Hall" fully corresponds to these concepts. The spots of color inside the clear outline resemble stained glass windows. A large gathering of people in a small area is supposed to radiate merriment. After all, this is what all visitors to the hall have come for.

However, the picture reeks of wistfulness and uncertainty. One feels lost in the faceless mass of his kind. The vivid colors of the outfits sound in stark dissonance with the wistful and lost expression on the face of the lady in the yellow hat.

There is not a single clearly defined face, and the visitors appear to be an average crowd with herd instincts. This is emphasized by the color similarity of the outfits and accessories. And the farther into the hall one looks, the more people lose their human face, turning into a random set of colored blots.

The brightness and festivity of the painting are a cover for human longing and loneliness, the impossibility of finding a soul mate among a huge number of people. No one cares who is around and only the tinsel of the holiday hides this fact.