The Dream of the Cafe at Night

Van Gogh's passion came from the world he lived in, from the irrepressible reactions of the people he knew. This is by no means the simple reaction made by a primitive man or a child. The letter he wrote to his brother Theo was the most touching story ever written by an artist. The letter shows his highly sensitive perception, which is completely in line with his emotional response. He was keenly aware that he was getting an effect, which was achieved through yellow or blue. Although most of his color concepts are used to express his love for characters and nature, and the pleasure in the process of expression, he is very sensitive to darker colors. So when talking about the Cafe at Night, he said: "I try to use red and green as a means to express the terrible passion of human beings."

The Cafe at Night is a nightmare made up of dark green ceilings and harmonious green furniture with blood-red walls. The golden yellow floor is viewed longitudinally, entering the red background with incredible power, which in turn competes with it with equal strength. This painting is an irreconcilable struggle between perspective space and the intimidating colors that attempt to destroy it. The result is a terrible experience of claustrophobia, terror and oppression. The work foreshadows the exploration of surrealism using perspective as a means of fantasy expression, but no exploration can have such a shocking power.