#40 Café Terrace at Night — Mug

Van Gogh wrote to his sister that he was painting the night without using any black at all — the dark is built from deep blues and greens, so the sky stays alive rather than flat. He set his easel out on the pavement in Arles and worked outdoors after dark, which was unusual enough that people came to watch. The café is still there. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo.