Madame Roulin and Her Baby

Madame Roulin and Her Baby is an oil on canvas painting created by Vincent van Gogh in 1888 during his highly productive stay in Arles, France. This intimate work is part of a celebrated series of portraits depicting the family of Joseph Roulin, the postman who became one of the artist’s most consistent friends and models during this period.

The composition captures Augustine Roulin, the postman's wife, gently holding her youngest daughter, Marcelle. Gogh utilized simplified forms, thick impasto, and highly saturated colors to convey the emotional weight of the mother and infant bond. Unlike traditional academic portraits, the canvas employs a flattened perspective and vibrant, active brushwork characteristic of Post-Impressionism. The intense yellow background and broad, swirling contours emphasize the emotional rather than the anatomical truth of the subjects.

Gogh painted several versions of the Roulin family members, each demonstrating his deep interest in depicting working-class women and their dignity. This piece highlights his empathetic approach, focusing on universal themes of motherhood and domestic life.

Today, this specific canvas resides in the renowned collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Recognized globally as a major example of the artist's Arles period, the work serves as an important visual document of his experimentation with color theory and outline. Because of the enduring popularity of this masterwork, high-quality prints and references are frequently made available through museum and public domain art collections worldwide, ensuring broad access to Gogh’s powerful vision.