A dense crowd fills the stands of an arena, their forms rendered in rapid, expressive brushstrokes and patches of bold colour. At the lower left, a woman in black with a red brooch looks out, her face outlined in green and ochre, while beside her two women in yellow and olive dresses, with white collars, turn toward each other in conversation. A red parasol rises above the heads of the foreground figures, catching the light and drawing attention to the bustle of the entrance steps.

In the centre foreground, a man with yellow hair and a blue collar stands with his back to the viewer, speaking to a companion whose face is shadowed in brown and black. To the right, a woman in a white dress ascends the steps, her arm bent as if gesturing or waving, while other figures cluster around, some holding pink or red umbrellas. The upper half of the canvas is crowded with spectators, their faces and hats merging into a lively mosaic of blue, violet, and green, punctuated by flashes of red and yellow.

The arena itself, a broad sweep of ochre and gold, occupies the upper right, where faint silhouettes of performers or bullfighters are visible against the glowing sand. The light falls unevenly, with the arena floor bathed in yellow and the crowd cast in cooler, shadowed tones. The paint is applied thinly in places, allowing the coarse weave of the canvas to show through, especially in the arena and along the steps.

The composition is tilted, with strong diagonals leading from the lower left up to the golden ring, creating a sense of movement and excitement. Small details, such as the varied hats, the gestures of the crowd, and the umbrellas, evoke the festive atmosphere of a public spectacle. Arena in Arles is painted by Vincent van Gogh in Arles, December 1888.