By Jonathan Shih
We already know an awful lot about Van Gogh, but we recently found out something new! Pinning down when Van Gogh painted ‘The Smoker’ (1) is tricky, as the work is not mentioned in his letters. It was initially thought to be from late 1888, but our Senior Researcher Teio Meedendorp identified it as one of eight studies from Van Gogh’s first weeks in Arles, so early 1888.
The painting’s loose brushwork and rich colours align with his early Arles style. Van Gogh’s later Arles portraits feature flat, uniformly toned backgrounds, but ‘The Smoker’ has a dynamic blue background with shades that add depth. It’s also similar in style to ‘An Old Woman of Arles’ (2), both paintings having backgrounds that emphasize depth and decorative detail.
The curtain in the background suggests the painting was made in a colder season, likely to keep cold air out of a café. Though Van Gogh didn’t directly mention ‘The Smoker’ in his letters, he did discuss portraits like ‘An Old Woman of Arles’ and other personal details during this time (February–March 1888), which helps place ‘The Smoker’ in his early Arles period.
1 ‘The Smoker’, c. 27 February 1888 © The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
2 ‘An Old Woman of Arles’, c. 24 February 1888 © Van Gogh Museum
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