Vincent van Gogh arrived in Arles, in the south of France, in 1888, hoping to establish an artists' colony there. During the next few years, Van Gogh experienced the most intensely productive period of his life, painting some 400 works, including several versions of his blazing Sunflowers, his timeless Night Café, living landscapes, portraits, and brilliant still life. The nightlife in Arels brought out the worst of company, alcoholics, prostitutes, and the homeless. Van Gogh, the poor …showed first 75 words of 1437 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1437 total…beneath troubled skies" (Cutts & Smith 254). This painting undoubtedly contains elements of Van Gogh's melancholy. The vigorous, frustrated brushstrokes being witness to his troubled mind (Cutter & Smith 254). Van Gogh has the dark blue contrasting with the lighter blue to give the sky a very expressionistic quality about it. A short period after painting this scene, Van Gogh walked into the very same fields and shot himself in the chest. He died two days later.