Still life with a plate of onions

Painted in January 1889 at Arles during Van Gogh's recovery from the crisis of December 23rd, this still life of onions with a plate, a pipe, a candle, medical literature, and a letter from Theo is among the most autobiographically charged of all his works. Each object has been read as part of a personal inventory of convalescence: the onions suggesting raw health through simple food, the pipe a habitual pleasure resumed after illness, the candle providing light without electricity, the medical book (possibly a health almanac) representing his attempt to understand and manage his own condition. Most poignant is the letter from Theo — his only consistent human connection during this period — placed prominently among the domestic objects. Van Gogh was trying to demonstrate to himself, through the act of painting, that he could return to his practice and his normal life. The Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo holds this deeply personal document.

The composition is arranged on a pale-coloured table with careful attention to the weight and placement of each object. The onions are painted with their papery skins rendered in warm amber and green strokes. The letter and book provide flat rectangles that contrast with the rounded vegetables. The overall palette is brighter than his Nuenen work, reflecting the Arles transformation now embedded in his practice.