Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South

In February of 1888 Vincent van Gogh traveled to Arles in the south of France to escape the frenzied atmosphere of madcap Paris. He made ambitious plans to found an artists’ colony that would breathe new life into French art. He finally succeeded in persuading Paul Gauguin to join him. The tumultuous story of what happened in the “Studio of the South” is one of the most dramatic in the history of modern art, and the paintings created there are among the most innovative and iconic images of the late 19th Century. JANET MANDEL is an award-winning art history educator.