Message #258784

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Van Gogh tackled "Interior of the Restaurant Carrel in Arles" several times. The first is believed to have been completed in 1888, though the exact date is unknown. Baxter argues that it depicts another sort of "Last Supper" scene, pointing out the central figure, the diners' placement on one side of the table and the prominence of wine.

In the second stab at the work, van Gogh added bread and more wine to the foreground as well as someone holding what appears to be a palm frond over the diners. Additionally, Baxter believes the figure to the immediate left of the center, wearing blue, to be a depiction of John the Apostle's famous lean from da Vinci's work.


The key might come from the religious symbolism of fellow Dutch painter Rembrandt.