Nevertheless, Gauguin’s stay was not as successful as it should have been. The fact
is that both painters were extremely prolific during this period. But, apart from this fact,
two painters did not get along really well, and had numerous arguments regularly. So, as
thrilled as Vincent was that Gauguin is joining him after all, the alienation he had clearly
been developing was so overwhelming, that at that point not even Gauguin was an
adequate friend for him anymore. Moreover, it was probably the inability to socialize with
Gauguin, whom he admired so much, that Vincent realized the level of isolation he
encountered, and that not only Gauguin, but no one would now be a suitable companion
for him. He wrote to his brother:
I am often terribly melancholy, irritable, hungering and thirsting, as it were, for sympathy; and when I do not get it, I try to act indifferently, speak sharply, and often even pour oil on fire. I do not like to be in company, and often find it painful and difficult to mingle with people, to speak with them… (Nemeczek 10)
So we see from the letter that even van Gogh himself admitted his alienation. He was thus now aware of the fact that he is becoming isolated, which he clearly portrays in his claustrophobic interiors.
As we see, the walls had consistently been closing around van Gogh throughout
the paintings thus far, but the culmination of the claustrophobia he achieves in the two
paintings created on the 23th of November 1888, Vincent’s Chair and Gauguin’s Chair. As
opposed to the previous ones, now there is literally only room enough for one person it the
painting. Continuously boxing himself in more and more, in these works van Gogh
managed to culminate by taking it to a new level - not even physically leaving room for
one more person. Everything is cut down to a very basic, but very suggestive setting -
only one chair. What is also interesting to notice is that he intentionally depicted his own
and Gauguin’s chair separately, in different canvases, but both in the same manner - with
the impression that no one else is determined to be in the setting except the one sitting in
the chair. But the fact that the two chairs, one of Vincent and one of Gauguin are in the
completely different canvases shows that van Gogh is finally feeling alienated even from
Gauguin. The walls are now totally closed around van Gogh, leaving him all alone in the
claustrophobic metaphorical box.