Ward of Arles Hospital by Vincent van Gogh

The 1889 painting Ward of Arles Hospital, by Vincent van Gogh, portrays the institution where Vincent spent his last months in Arles. When his health permitted, van Gogh left the premises to paint in the fields. He also painted the scenes outside his window. Vincent van Gogh felt more secure living with medical supervision, but in his painting, Ward of Arles Hospital, the exaggerated length of the corridor and the nervous contours that delineate the figures of the patients express the emotional weight of his isolation and confinement.

Vincent van Gogh's Ward of Arles Hospital (oil on canvas, 28-1/4x35-1/4 inches) is part of the Collection Oskar Reinhart 'Am Römerholz,' Winterthur, Switzerland.

Van Gogh didn't brood on such depressing subjects entirely, however. Keep reading to learn more about a lighter work that he completed around this same time.