Van Gogh paints this work at night, because colours just seem so very different by day. According to an early biographer he wears a hat with on its rim lit candles to have enough light to paint. This is not very likely, because he would be bothered by the dripping candle wax. He probably worked by the light of the gas lamps on the terrace. The gas lamp illuminates the façade and awning of the cafe. Van Gogh uses a warm yellow colour to depict this effect, which is a strong contrast with the deep blue of the starry sky. This is a conscious choice, as would appear from a letter to Theo: ‘I believe the abundance of gas light, which is, after all, yellow and orange, intensifies the blue.’
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