Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Café du Tambourin
Encyclopedia
Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Café du Tambourin was painted by Vincent van Gogh
in 1887. Agostina owned the café that Van Gogh knew intimately. It was a gathering spot for Parisian artists, a place where their work was exhibited. Van Gogh, unable to pay in cash for his meals, exchanged paintings for meals. The paintings then adorned the restaurant. He held a special exhibit of his Japanese prints in the café as well. His connection with Agostina and the cafe came to a sad end when she went bankrupt and Van Gogh's paintings were confiscated by creditors. This painting, however, demonstrates an artistic discovery that culminated in his unique, creative style not quite on the brink of being understood and revered.
. He entered Paris as a shy, somber man and while his personality would never change, he emerged artistically into what one critic described as a "singing bird". While Van Gogh had been influenced by great masters in Holland, coming to Paris meant that he was influenced by Impressionists
, Symbolists, Pointillists
, and Japanese
art. His circle of friends included Camille Pissarro
, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin
, Émile Bernard
and others. The works of Japanese print makers
, Hiroshige
and Hokusai
greatly influenced Van Gogh, both for the beautiful subject matter and the style of flat patterns of colors, without shadow. Van Gogh explored the various influences, molding them into a style that was uniquely his own. In the two years, from 1886 through 1888, Van Gogh emerged as a sophisticated, thoughtful and provoking artist. This painting demonstrates his journey of creativity of that period.
Van Gogh used the theme of a woman sitting at a small table, introduced by Impressionists, such as Edgar Degas
and Edouard Manet
. The table and stools were in the shape of tambourines, befitting the café's theme. On the wall behind her are Van Gogh's Japanese prints, which he began exhibiting at the café in February, 1887.
The brightly colored painting and confident subject represent a shift in Van Gogh's attitude, in comparison to his previous subjects, such as were dark, tragic peasants. Even more, Van Gogh's Portrait of Pére Tanguy
from the fall of the same year further explores his use of color and better promotes his Japanese prints.
and Corot
and others, the Naples-born Agostina saved the money she earned working as a model and opened the Italian themed Café du Tambourin in 1885, which particularly catered to artists.
The café on the Boulevard de Clichy
in Paris
was just around the corner from the home that Van Gogh lived in with his brother Theo
. Besides convenience, the restaurant was notable to Van Gogh as a venue for exhibition of his paintings, as begun by artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
, Paul-Albert Besnard
and others.
In 1887 Van Gogh had several meals a week at the café which were paid in paintings to adorn the restaurants walls. He fell in love with Agostina, who was twelve years older. Soon after, though, Agostina and the establishment fell on hard times. She became ill and the business, in debt and likely involved in illegal prostitution, failed. Although assured by Agostina that Van Gogh could claim his paintings, according to Émile Bernard's recollection debtors sold his paintings "as waste canvas" in batches of 10, ranging in price from 50 centimes to one franc
per bundle. Due to the bankruptcy of the cafe Van Gogh lost not only the paintings, mostly still life works of flowers, but also the frames.
Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Café du Tambourin is on display at the Van Gogh Museum
in Amsterdam
, Holland.
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
in 1887. Agostina owned the café that Van Gogh knew intimately. It was a gathering spot for Parisian artists, a place where their work was exhibited. Van Gogh, unable to pay in cash for his meals, exchanged paintings for meals. The paintings then adorned the restaurant. He held a special exhibit of his Japanese prints in the café as well. His connection with Agostina and the cafe came to a sad end when she went bankrupt and Van Gogh's paintings were confiscated by creditors. This painting, however, demonstrates an artistic discovery that culminated in his unique, creative style not quite on the brink of being understood and revered.
Van Gogh's influence in Paris
In 1886 Van Gogh left Holland, never to return, for Paris and the guidance of his brother Theo van GoghTheo van Gogh (art dealer)
Theodorus "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch art dealer. He was the younger brother of Vincent van Gogh, and Theo's unfailing financial and emotional support allowed his brother to devote himself entirely to painting...
. He entered Paris as a shy, somber man and while his personality would never change, he emerged artistically into what one critic described as a "singing bird". While Van Gogh had been influenced by great masters in Holland, coming to Paris meant that he was influenced by Impressionists
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
, Symbolists, Pointillists
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
, and Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
art. His circle of friends included Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
, Émile Bernard
Émile Bernard
Émile Henri Bernard is known as a Post-Impressionist painter who had artistic friendships with Van Gogh, Gauguin and Eugene Boch, and at a later time, Cézanne. Most of his notable work was accomplished at a young age, in the years 1886 through 1897. He is also associated with Cloisonnism and...
and others. The works of Japanese print makers
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
, Hiroshige
Hiroshige
was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. He was also referred to as Andō Hiroshige and by the art name of Ichiyūsai Hiroshige ....
and Hokusai
Hokusai
was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. He was influenced by such painters as Sesshu, and other styles of Chinese painting...
greatly influenced Van Gogh, both for the beautiful subject matter and the style of flat patterns of colors, without shadow. Van Gogh explored the various influences, molding them into a style that was uniquely his own. In the two years, from 1886 through 1888, Van Gogh emerged as a sophisticated, thoughtful and provoking artist. This painting demonstrates his journey of creativity of that period.
The painting
In the painting Agostina, a woman in her forties, can be seen smoking a cigarette while having her second glass of beer, evidenced by two saucers under the mug of beer. In demeanor and style, such as her clothing, make-up and hairstyle, she is a modern woman. She is wearing a fashionable hat. According to the style at the time, her jacket is a different design than her dress. A parasol sits on one of the seats next to her.Van Gogh used the theme of a woman sitting at a small table, introduced by Impressionists, such as Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
and Edouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
. The table and stools were in the shape of tambourines, befitting the café's theme. On the wall behind her are Van Gogh's Japanese prints, which he began exhibiting at the café in February, 1887.
Portrait of Père Tanguy
Portrait of Père Tanguy, painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1887, is one of his three paintings of Julien Tanguy. The three works demonstrate a progression in Van Gogh's artistic style after his arrival in Paris. The first is somber, and formed from a simple composition. The second introduces Van...
from the fall of the same year further explores his use of color and better promotes his Japanese prints.
Café du Tambourin
Van Gogh occasionally visited Café du Tambourin run by Agostina Segatori, the subject of this painting. Previously an artist's model to ManetÉdouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
and Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot was a French landscape painter and printmaker in etching. Corot was the leading painter of the Barbizon school of France in the mid-nineteenth century...
and others, the Naples-born Agostina saved the money she earned working as a model and opened the Italian themed Café du Tambourin in 1885, which particularly catered to artists.
The café on the Boulevard de Clichy
Boulevard de Clichy
The Boulevard de Clichy , which lends its name to the Place de Clichy, resulted from the fusion, in 1864, of the roads that paralleled the Wall of the Farmers-General, both inside and out. It extends from the Place de Clichy to the Rue des Martyrs, nearly a kilometre away...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
was just around the corner from the home that Van Gogh lived in with his brother Theo
Theo van Gogh (art dealer)
Theodorus "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch art dealer. He was the younger brother of Vincent van Gogh, and Theo's unfailing financial and emotional support allowed his brother to devote himself entirely to painting...
. Besides convenience, the restaurant was notable to Van Gogh as a venue for exhibition of his paintings, as begun by artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa or simply Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an œuvre of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern...
, Paul-Albert Besnard
Paul-Albert Besnard
Paul-Albert Besnard was a French painter and printmaker.-Biography:He was born in Paris and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, studied with Jean Bremond and was influenced by Alexandre Cabanel...
and others.
In 1887 Van Gogh had several meals a week at the café which were paid in paintings to adorn the restaurants walls. He fell in love with Agostina, who was twelve years older. Soon after, though, Agostina and the establishment fell on hard times. She became ill and the business, in debt and likely involved in illegal prostitution, failed. Although assured by Agostina that Van Gogh could claim his paintings, according to Émile Bernard's recollection debtors sold his paintings "as waste canvas" in batches of 10, ranging in price from 50 centimes to one franc
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
per bundle. Due to the bankruptcy of the cafe Van Gogh lost not only the paintings, mostly still life works of flowers, but also the frames.
Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Café du Tambourin is on display at the Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum is an art museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. It has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world.-Background:...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Holland.
See also
- Montmartre (Van Gogh series)Montmartre (Van Gogh series)The Montmartre paintings are a group of works that Vincent van Gogh made in 1886 and 1887 of the Paris district of Montmartre while living there with his brother Theo. Rather than capture urban settings in Paris, Van Gogh preferred pastoral scenes, such as Montmartre and Asnières in the northwest...
, an article about the works that Van Gogh created near the apartment that he shared with his brother and the Café du Tambourin.