Art Appreciation 
Carl Scarborough
Appreciation for the Arts
Professor Barclay
23 June 2014
Formal Analysis for The Night Café This particular painting from Van Gogh is very catching to they eye due to all of the primary colors or red and green that contrast another. One would ask themselves once they studied the painting for a little while if this was the scene of a bar. This setting seems to have sort of slouched over people that do not really seem to happy and may even be depressed. This is the sense that I get from the fact that no one really seem happy and they seem to be drinking their sorrows away. Also the implied lines of this painting suggest they are all pointing towards the wet bar in the back of the room. Also the ambient lighting that is going on suggests to me kind of a gloomy overcast feeling. It is awkward that this painting has been called a café because to many now days it would seem as if it were a bar. Maybe the artist was sort of implying this is what they were called back then. I also get a sense of pattern and rhythm from the seemingly textured lights and the pattern that is emitted from the glowing affect of the lights. The pool table, bar, and the man dressed in white are all examples of focal points to me as they are the bigger pieces that attract more attention by viewers. The bar could be considered a focal point because of all the implied lines leading to it. The man in white is considered to me as one because he is what stands out the most from all the other dark clothed people. The pool tables closest corner is sort of pointing towards the viewer and expressing a stern line directly at the viewer. The very vibrant and expressive and warm colors used by Van Gogh here contradict the whole meaning and feeling of the painting. Van Gogh has used all types of shadows and textures to give depth and atmospheric perspective all the way from the back of the room by the doorway and what may continue on behind it. Van Gogh also utilizes the overlapping of
Appreciation for the Arts
Professor Barclay
23 June 2014
Formal Analysis for The Night Café This particular painting from Van Gogh is very catching to they eye due to all of the primary colors or red and green that contrast another. One would ask themselves once they studied the painting for a little while if this was the scene of a bar. This setting seems to have sort of slouched over people that do not really seem to happy and may even be depressed. This is the sense that I get from the fact that no one really seem happy and they seem to be drinking their sorrows away. Also the implied lines of this painting suggest they are all pointing towards the wet bar in the back of the room. Also the ambient lighting that is going on suggests to me kind of a gloomy overcast feeling. It is awkward that this painting has been called a café because to many now days it would seem as if it were a bar. Maybe the artist was sort of implying this is what they were called back then. I also get a sense of pattern and rhythm from the seemingly textured lights and the pattern that is emitted from the glowing affect of the lights. The pool table, bar, and the man dressed in white are all examples of focal points to me as they are the bigger pieces that attract more attention by viewers. The bar could be considered a focal point because of all the implied lines leading to it. The man in white is considered to me as one because he is what stands out the most from all the other dark clothed people. The pool tables closest corner is sort of pointing towards the viewer and expressing a stern line directly at the viewer. The very vibrant and expressive and warm colors used by Van Gogh here contradict the whole meaning and feeling of the painting. Van Gogh has used all types of shadows and textures to give depth and atmospheric perspective all the way from the back of the room by the doorway and what may continue on behind it. Van Gogh also utilizes the overlapping of