Window of Vincent's Studio at the Asylum 1889

Vincent van Gogh made this oil painting, called "Window of Vincent's Studio at the Asylum," while he was institutionalized. The window offers a view of the outside world, but its bars and panes also suggest confinement. Looking at this painting, it is important to consider the social stigma surrounding mental illness in 19th-century Europe. Mental asylums, like the one where Van Gogh created this work, were often isolated institutions. Van Gogh's decision to paint the asylum window could be seen as a commentary on his own isolation and the marginalization of individuals with mental health issues, critiquing society's treatment of the mentally ill. Art historians can research asylum records, medical literature, and social histories to better understand the cultural context in which this painting was made and to examine the meaning of art as something contingent on social and institutional context.