Café Terrace at Night - Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

The Story Behind Café Terrace at Night

By Vincent van Gogh, 1888

Painted in Arles, France, in September 1888, Café Terrace at Night is one of Vincent van Gogh’s most beloved and atmospheric works. The painting captures a quiet, glowing café on the Place du Forum under a starlit sky—Van Gogh’s first known work to depict a nocturnal scene without using black paint.

Inspired by the charm of Arles’ warm southern nights and driven by a fascination with color, Van Gogh wrote to his sister describing this piece as a study in contrasting light: the golden glow of the café lamps against the deep blues of the night sky. There is no darkness in his night—only color and vibrancy, turning the mundane into something dreamlike.

The perspective draws the eye into the cobblestone street, past the café terrace and into the mysterious shadows beyond. It’s a scene full of quiet life, of conversations just out of earshot, of time suspended between night and morning. It’s a love letter to simplicity, solitude, and the comfort of warm light.

This painting is often considered a spiritual precursor to Starry Night, capturing Van Gogh’s belief that night, too, held as much beauty and brilliance as day.