IDENTITY

Letter 626 — Colour Theory & Palette

Arles, 1888

Content Summary

Between 16 and 20 June 1888 at Arles, Van Gogh discusses lemon yellow, vermilion, Veronese green and cobalt blue in relation to complementary colour effects.

Self-Portrait as a Painter — Vincent van Gogh

CONTEXT

Topics

Colour Theory, Palette, Lemon yellow, vermilion, Veronese green, cobalt blue, complementaries

Materials & Pigments

Cobalt, Vermilion, Veronese green, lemon yellow

Related People

Vincent van Gogh, Delacroix

Paintings

RESEARCH

Quotation

Research Focus

The letter brings named palette colours into direct relation with Van Gogh’s complementary-colour thinking, linking material choices with his developing orchestration of colour.

Related Work / Relevance

SOURCES & EVIDENCE

Source Type

Letter

Source

Letter 626

Source Edition

Vincent van Gogh — The Letters, scholarly online edition (Van Gogh Museum / Huygens ING)

Source URL

https://vangoghletters.org/en/let626

Evidence Type

Primary Source, Scholarly Annotation