THE NIGHT CAFE

Yesterday we were invited to 2:00 o'clock lunch, where we had pizza, salad and turtle sundaes.  Had giggles and some serious conversations that encompassed pretty much everything people talk about these days.  Nothing was settled, naturally, but at least we tried.  Came back to our pad by 5, and by that time we were ready to cozy in for the evening.  The boyfriend watched the P's address on his laptop, and I watched snippets of a trial on YT.  By that time of day, my brain was frazzled, and I wanted to save what was left for my usual online haunts.

Don't know how it can once again be Friday.  The weeks do literally fly by.  This weekend time changes, which, to me, is nothing but a joke.  I personally do not think about the change, and, therefore, it matters nothing.  My dear mother suffered from time change like some people suffer from a bad case of the flu.  I'd tell her not to look at the clock.  But, it screwed up her eating, her sleeping, and she needed extra time to complain.  Poor woman drove herself nuts.  She taught me how not to be. 

As a joke, I've joined an Anti-Social Club.  We won't ever meet.  We pretended to choose officers without duties.  We won't need to spend time putting together agendas, taking minutes, approving minutes, or abiding by any rules of procedure.  Members will virtually have no communication, and our club will serve no purpose.  If we're ever asked if we're active in our community, this membership gives us the right to answer in the affirmative.  (This is how one plays a role in today's insane society.)  Enuf silliness.  

Vincent painted The Night Cafe in 1888, while he was living in Arles, France.  Earlier that year he moved to a room at the Cafe`de la Gare, where this room was located.

The Night Cafe - 1888

In the center of the canvas, Vincent shows a billiard table that's not being used.  We see three walls of the room, with a door opposite the viewer.  Tables and chairs line the walls, some occupied by figures hunched over the tables in conversation.  Most of the figures are men, except for one woman at the far left table.  Standing by the pool table is a figure wearing white, most likely the owner of the cafe.  On the far wall by the door, note the bar with bottles on top, with a vase of flowers in the center.  The walls are rich red, contrasted with yellow floors and yellow lights hanging from the ceiling.

Van Gogh was interested in painting night scenes.  He wrote, "The night is much more alive and richly colored than the day."  He called the people who spent their nights at the cafe "night prowlers."  Vincent was intrigued by these people who stayed there because they had no money to pay for lodging, or were drunk.  In this painting of harsh colors and a disorienting perspective, it all adds up to the idea that whoever is in this cafe at that late hour, is dealing with a life struggle of some sort.  Note the clock on the wall shows the time is past midnight.  Also how Vincent has painted the floor more worn around the pool table.  Don't miss a drinker sitting at a table with his face in his arms.  And, take time to identify the rectangular-shaped objects, including the room itself, and round objects that he has placed in the painting.  I'm not quite sure what the round table-high object is on the left center.  Any thoughts? 

In this painting, Vincent crafts not only a place, but an experience.  Vincent's signature bottom right.  🖌