The Yellow House

Painted in 1888, this scene shows the house where Vincent van Gogh lived in the town of Arles in the south of France. The yellow building with the green shutters was his home, the place where he rented a few rooms and dreamed of starting an artists' community. He was so proud of it that he wrote to his brother Theo describing every detail, right down to the bright sunlight that washes over the walls. Van Gogh's bold colors and thick, energetic brushstrokes are typical of his Post-Impressionist style, where feeling mattered just as much as what the eye actually saw.

The deep blue sky above makes the golden buildings glow even more, a contrast Van Gogh loved to use. You can spot small figures going about their day, a train puffing along on the right, and the wide dusty street stretching across the front. There's a hopeful, almost cheerful feeling to it all. Sadly, the happiness did not last. Van Gogh invited fellow painter Paul Gauguin to share the house, but their friendship fell apart dramatically, ending with the famous incident in which Van Gogh cut off part of his own ear. The house itself was later damaged in World War II and no longer stands, which makes this painting a rare window into a place that meant so much to him.