Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle (La Berceuse)

This Art Institute of Chicago version of La Berceuse is one of five paintings Van Gogh made of Augustine Roulin between December 1888 and March 1889. He conceived of the series as a triptych flanking his Sunflowers paintings — La Berceuse in the center, a Sunflowers canvas on each side — creating what he called a 'consolation for the bereaved.' The image of a woman rocking a cradle, he wrote, should bring comfort the way a lullaby does, and he imagined it specifically for Breton fishermen at sea. The Chicago version differs subtly from the Metropolitan's in palette and background detail, showing Van Gogh revisiting and refining the composition.

Van Gogh uses a distinctive dark red for the rope held by the sitter, which grounds the composition. The floral background wallpaper is rendered with dense, interlocking brushwork that creates strong decorative pattern. The figure's face is modeled with simplified, direct strokes that emphasize her calm, maternal presence.