Terrace of a Cafe on Montmartre "La Guinguette" 1886

Editor: Van Gogh’s "Terrace of a Cafe on Montmartre, La Guinguette," painted in 1886. There's something melancholy about the scene, despite the people gathered. The colour palette feels almost muted. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: Ah, Van Gogh at that pivotal moment in Paris. I see a dance, a hesitation between Impressionism's fleeting light and his own, intensely personal vision about to explode. This isn’t the blinding sun of Arles yet, but can't you almost feel him itching to break free, wrestling with those Parisian blues and greys? And that's because this canvas has everything but certainty! There's a little confusion there - in style and colour - it gives such charming, honest energy! Editor: Confusion is such an interesting word for it! I was focused on that subdued atmosphere. Curator: Subdued, yes, but that touch of disharmony is absolutely the seed of everything that was to come for him, I suspect. Like a shy scream before it really takes over. Look at the way the brushstrokes swirl. This is the sound of your hands, moving faster, faster! Editor: So you see it less as a melancholic snapshot and more like a moment of…becoming? Curator: Exactly! It’s as if Van Gogh is tuning his instrument before playing the symphony we know he carried inside. Doesn't it make you want to shout encouragement at him to GO ON? He doesn't know how important each brushstroke is at the moment! Editor: Definitely! I'll never look at early Van Goghs the same way again. Curator: Good! Now tell me which brushstroke resonates with you the most and why.