The Lullaby (Augustine Roulin)

About this artwork - painting analysis

Vincent van Gogh painted La Berceuse (Augustine Roulin) in January 1889 in Arles, just a few weeks after his nervous breakdown in December 1888. This work, of which he would create five nearly identical versions, depicts Madame Augustine Roulin, the wife of postman Joseph Roulin, a faithful friend of the painter during his stay in Provence. Seated on a wooden chair, the woman with simple features and a face marked by gentleness holds a rope in her joined hands—that of an invisible cradle evoked by the title. Dressed in a gown and a corset of emerald green enhanced with black, she stands out against a background wallpapered with luxuriant floral motifs, where turquoise, blue and green dominate, punctuated by white daisies with yellow centers.

Van Gogh's technique reaches remarkable intensity here, characteristic of his Post-Impressionist style. Thick, sinuous brushstrokes structure the background in vibrant arabesques, creating an undulating movement that contrasts with the monumental stability of the figure. Complementary colors—deep greens and orange touches in the hair, reds in the floor and armchair—clash in bold harmony. Van Gogh seeks to express universal maternal symbolism here, inspired by his fascination with the cradle songs of Breton sailors and his desire to create a comforting work.

The Dutch painter conceived this series as an imaginary triptych, with the cradle to be framed by his Sunflowers, like a secular madonna in a modern altarpiece. This syncretic vision blends religious references and popular culture, testifying to his troubled spiritual quest. Housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, this version illustrates Van Gogh's radical evolution toward intense personal expression, where color and form become vectors of pure emotion, heralding the pictorial revolutions of the twentieth century and nascent Expressionism.

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Image license: faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional public domain work of art.