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In my yellow room, sunflowers with purple eyes stand out against a yellow background; the ends of their stalks bathe in a yellow pot on a yellow table. In one corner of the painting, the painter's signature: Vincent. And the yellow sun, coming through the yellow curtains of my room, floods all this flowering with gold, and in the morning, when I wake up in my bed, I have the impression that it all smells very good. Oh yes! he loved yellow, did good Vincent, the painter from Holland, gleams of sunlight warming his soul, which detested fog. A craving for warmth. When the two of us were together in Arles, both of us insane, and constantly at war over beautiful colors, I adored red; where could I find a perfect vermilion? He, taking his yellowest brush, wrote on the suddenly purple wall: I am of sound mind, I am the Holy Ghost.

Vincent Van Gogh#98

ArtColorEmotionExpression

About this quote

What does it mean?
Yellow evokes warmth and vitality in art and life; the artist found joy and identity in its light.
In plain terms
The color yellow brought warmth and happiness to the artist.
What can you take from it?
Colors can deeply affect mood and creative expression.

Where it applies

  • artistic creation
  • personal environment

Putting it to work

  • using color to express mood
  • creating inviting spaces

Questions to consider

  • How do colors affect your mood?
  • What color do you associate with warmth?

Another view

Color preference is subjective and does not apply universally.

More from Vincent Van Gogh

  1. The thing has already taken form in my mind before I start it. The first attempts are absolutely unbearable. I say this because I want you to know that if you …

    Permalink to quote #97
  2. Starry starry night, paint your palette blue and grey Look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul Shadows on the hills, sketch the t…

    Permalink to quote #99
  3. The sadness will last forever. (on his deathbed)

    Permalink to quote #96

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