What surface did Van Gogh paint on?

A superb question, and one that the restorers and scientists employed by the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam answered after their five year “Thread Count Automation Project,” the results of which point to a very specific type of canvas, explainable by Vincent’s nomadic lifestyle, and because he bought the fabric in vast rolls of clothe, they have actually examined the threads to know which paintings came from the same bolt of clothe. read more

Artwork description & Analysis: This was one of the first scenes Van Gogh painted during his stay in Arles and the first painting where he used a nocturnal background. Using contrasting colors and tones, Van Gogh achieved a luminous surface that pulses with an interior light, almost in defiance of the darkening sky. read more

In Van Gogh’s work, the use of impasto had a huge effect on lighting, with the raised, almost three dimensional surfaces of his paintings appearing different depending on the source of light. read more