The Spirit of the Ordinary: Through the eyes of Van Gogh

Here's my photo of Vincent Van Gogh's cafè today --photo taken November 2019. As I stood across the street to take the photo, I imagined Van Gogh standing next to me. "Not the same," he whispered. I didn't ask him whether he meant there's a difference in me just snapping a photo and him creating the painting, or maybe the cafè looks less romantic than when he'd been inspired to paint its portrait. I walked by the cafè at night, as well. Closed. Not the same.

In many ways, of course, the whole city of Arles has changed from what we might imagine it looked like when Van Gogh walked the streets. It's still ruggedly handsome like Van Gogh. The distress becomes more obvious outside the "tourist" area.





Arles lacks the beauty one hopes to find in Provence's villages. The unchanging charm of Avignon and Cassis and St. Rémy take the visitor back to another time long ago. Arles feels real and well worth exploring.

Van Gogh's fans can walk in his footsteps, following the big yellow feet painted on sidewalks to various places made famous by his paintings.




Ordinary places. 
The vibrancy of the ordinary appears 
on the canvas only through the eye of the artist. 

Yes, Vincent, I see the difference. The gift of the ordinary has been made clear to us through your genius and creative spirit.

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