In the fall of 1886, van Gogh said, in spring – say February or even sooner – I may going to the South of France, the land of the blue tones and gay colors, as he wrote to his English painter friend Horace Mann Livens.
He left Paris in February 19th, 1888. He is stimulated by the blazing sun and the brilliance of the Provence colors.
Van Gogh rented two rooms the Yellow House at 2 Place Lamartine, unfurnished in early May 1888, but did not sleep there until mid-September.
The renting of this little house had enormous emotional significant for van Gogh: it was a symbol of possession, of security and of freedom from hotel keepers.
He envisioned the house as an open space where artists could come to freely share ideas and resources.
In December, van Gogh cuts off his ear lobe, wraps it in newspaper and trusts it to a prostitute called Rachel. He is hospitalized.
Van Gogh spent 15 months in Arles in the South of France, from February 1888 to May 1889. During his stay, he produced some 200 paintings, made over 100 drawings and water colors, and wrote some 200 letters.
In 1890, van Gogh sells his first and the only painting The Red Vineyard.
In May of 1890, he moves to Auvers-sur-Oise, paint Portrait of Dr. Gachet. Van Gogh shoots himself on July 27 and dies two days later.
Van Gogh moving to Arles
