In this monumental triptych, Arnaldo Roche Rabell explores the 
relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind, drawing upon 
the life and work of Vincent van Gogh to examine psychological 
experience, identity, and the boundaries between interior and exterior 
worlds. 
The composition unfolds from left to right, gradually drawing the viewer 
into an increasingly complex psychological space. Its architectural setting is 
inspired by the interiors of the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where 
Van Gogh spent approximately one year beginning in 1889. 
According to Roche, the prevailing blue tonality symbolizes the 
subconscious, transforming the architectural setting into a metaphorical 
landscape of the mind. 
Left Panel
The composition draws the viewer inward, toward Roche's own face, 
partially concealed by an African mask. The mask evokes the ethnographic 
interests and fascination with non-Western cultures that emerged in 
European art around the turn of the twentieth century. It may also suggest a 
return to origins, an exploration of ancestral identity, and an attempt to 
penetrate deeper layers of the unconscious. By incorporating his own likeness, Roche positions himself within this 
psychological and historical narrative, establishing a dialogue between 
personal identity and the experience of another artist. 
Central Panel
The central panel is dominated by a representation of Vincent van Gogh, 
surrounded by his iconic sunflowers interwoven with Puerto Rican 
vegetation. 
This fusion of European and Caribbean imagery brings together two 
distinct artistic and cultural worlds. The vegetation becomes more than a 
reference to place: it embodies the forces of nature and their relationship to 
psychological experience. 
Roche identified with Van Gogh's episodes of psychological crisis, 
particularly the connection he perceived between the natural world and the 
artist's emotional and mental states. Through this identification, Roche 
explores the tensions between creativity, vulnerability, and psychological 
instability. 
Right Panel
The right panel returns to the architectural interior of the asylum at Saint-
Rémy. A corridor leads the viewer deeper into the space, while a rocking 
chair, broken into pieces, introduces a powerful symbol of memory, 
movement, and fractured identity. 
For Roche, the rocking chair carries particular significance. As he 
explained: 
"The rocking chair is an iconic symbol that can move, can be in the past 
and in the present so that I can be myself and also become one with a 
historic figure like Van Gogh, not because of wanting to be this artist, but to 
experience his passions and obsession with life." 
The rocking chair thus becomes a vehicle through which Roche moves 
between past and present, his own identity and that of Van Gogh. This identification also provides a means of approaching and understanding the 
psychological experience of his brother through the historical figure of the 
Dutch artist. 
Interior and Exterior: The Temples of the Unconscious 
Throughout the triptych, the relationship between interior and exterior 
spaces operates on both architectural and psychological levels. Nature 
repeatedly penetrates the enclosed environment, suggesting that the external 
world cannot be separated from the inner life of the individual. Even the 
presence of death becomes part of this exchange between outside and 
inside. 
The triptych addresses different dimensions of schizophrenia and 
psychological fragmentation, while exploring the fluid boundaries between 
memory, identity, artistic creation, and the unconscious. 
Ultimately, the temples of the title can be understood as metaphors for the 
unconscious mind: intimate spaces in which personal and collective 
histories are inscribed, transformed, and revealed through painting.