CHAPTER 1. VINCENT VAN GOGH: MADNESS AND GENIUS Mental illness is often synonymous with concealment, shame and stigma; only in rare cases, when madness is linked with genius, does it generate fascination. Post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh is one of the greatest examples of the fine line between madness and genius. Even the most profane in the art world have heard of his retirement in Arlés, his diatribes with Gauguin, his alleged self-mutilation of an ear and his so-called suicide. A life woven with an ode to the curse that continues to arouse interest and presents a thread of unanswered questions. Van Gogh is known today as one of the finest post-impressionist painters of the nineteenth century, but this was not the case during his …show more content…
Van Gogh employs color as a mean to express emotionality. The distribution of the white, yellow, green and blue tones the painter applies in the sky are much more vivid than the somber tones used in the city. White and yellow dyes create a spiraling effect which brings the viewer’s attention to the sky; and the vertical lines of the above-mentioned church and cypress subtly break the composition maintaining balance and attention in the sky. Van Gogh’s night sky luminosity is superior to that of any other element in the canvas. In another letter to Theo, van Gogh said he found the night “much more alive and richly colored than the day.” The cypress—a tree associated with mourning, obscured and in the shape of a burning flame, unites the earthly and the celestial world, reflecting the relationship between life and death. Furthermore, the brushstrokes also accentuate the contrast between the sky and the city where, the city appears as linear, geometric short lines inculcating serenity and accentuating the opposition of the frenetic curves of the sky. Generally, the brushstrokes are energetic, thick, forming grooves and reliefs; the lines show dynamism when meandering and waving through the painting, creating the sensation of continuous
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the world’s greatest and most well-known artists, but when he was alive he considered himself to be a complete failure. It was not until after he died that Van Gogh’s paintings received the recognition they deserved. Today he is thought to be the second best Dutch artist, after Rembrandt. Born in 1853, he was one of the biggest artistic influences of the 19th century. Vincent Van Gogh created a new era of art, he learned to use art to escape his mental illness, and he still continues to inspire artists over 100 years later.
Coming from a family greatly involved in art dealing, Vincent van Gogh was destined to have a place in the world of art. Van Gogh’s unique techniques and use of color, which clashed and differed greatly from the masters of the art world of his time, would eventually gain him the recognition as one of the founders of modern art. Van Gogh’s early life was heavily influenced by the role of his father who was a pastor and chose to follow in his footsteps. Although he abandoned the desire to become a pastor, van Gogh remained a spiritual being and was strong in faith. Plagued with a troubled mind and poor health, van Gogh’s life became filled with torment and isolation that would influence his career in later life as an artist. In his late twenties, van Gogh had decided that it was God’s divine plan for him to become a painter. His works would express through thoughtful composition and vibrant color, the emotions that he was unable to manifest in the real world. Van Gogh’s perception of reality and his technique would face harsh criticism and never receive full acceptance from his peers as a serious artist during his brief career. In a collection of correspondence entitled The Letters of a Post-Impressionist, Vincent confirmed these thoughts while writing to his brother Theo, “It irritates me to hear people say that I have no "technique." It is just possible that there is no trace of it, because I hold myself aloof from all painters” (27). His technique would later be marveled and revered by the art world. Vincent van Gogh’s legacy would thrive as it challenged the way the world envisioned modern art through his unique brush strokes and profound use of color as seen in his works The Sower and The Night Café. A brief look into...
With its swirling colors and lines, Starry Night, incorporates not just the color and light that is found in the earlier works of these painters, but it shows how forms and feelings also came into play. "Waves and swirls" were applied so thickly in this piece that the paint itself cast shadows.
Lauren Soth is working throughout his entire article to express and prove Van Gogh’s intentions and therefore Van Gogh’s agony as the meaning behind his masterpiece, Starry Night. Soth’s thesis claims the painting was intended to console, but also another attempt at a failed painting “Agony in the Garden” which was meant to be imaginative, but based on conceptual history. At first his thesis seemed too bold, although arguable. By hiding his opinions and focusing on tangible evidence such as a solid visual analysis, powerful biographical details, and letters written by Van Gogh himself, Soth’s seemingly exaggerated opinion transforms into an insightful and well-supported thesis.
Van Gogh’s works have been deeply considered and examined to unfold the mysteries of his mental illness. It was in Arles, southern France of 1888 where Van Gogh was an accomplished artist on his own, but still not having had much notice, when his me...
Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Post-Impressionist painter from March 30th, 1853 to the time of his early death in July 29th, 1890. He was a Dutch artist who traveled between Hague, London, and Paris where he created some of his best works of art. One of van Gogh’s famous starlit night sky paintings was the Starry Night Over the Rhone. The canvas that van Gogh chose to paint his famously recognized piece of art was constructed using an oil base paint on a 28.5 inch by 36.2 inch canvas. Oscar-Claude Monet, also a Impressionist painter, was born on November 14th, 1840 and passed away on December 5th, 1926. Monet lived in Giverny where he painted various different landscape projects that later became subjects of some of his best-known works. Considered to be one of Monet’s “most poetic expressions,” Impression, Sunrise is illustrated using oil paints on a 18.9 inch by 24.8 inch canvas. Van Gogh’s and Monet’s paintings are similar to each other in that they are both maritime paintings,
Vincent van Gogh lived from 1853 to 1890 and is arguably the most famous painter of the post-impressionism era of art. His painting style was often
Vincent van Gogh was a poor artist in 19th century Europe that was constantly tortured by psychiatric issues. Van Gogh was born in Zundert, Netherlands on March 30, 1853. His father was a pastor and raised him with a very religious lifestyle and he originally set out to be a pastor himself. He was fired from his preaching job because of his intensity and fierceness and decided to be an artist. His many disorders eventually got the better of him and he was admitted to the St. Remy mental institution where he did the much of his art. After his release in May of 1890, van Gogh fell into deep depression and eventually committed suicide in July of that year. In my opinion van Gogh’s importance was shown through his different use of color that was looked down upon by the critics of the time but led to a new style of Post-Impressionism at the end of the Impressionistic era. Also, his large amounts of paintings, over 2,100, portray a large amount of subjects which virtually anyone can relate to. Finally, his importance is verified in the sheer price of his paintings, the most expensive, Portrait of Dr. Gatchet, was sold for 82 million dollars.
He used rich naturalistic color to create gently, winding forms and silhouettes creating a picturesque scene on the left, and local color creates a hazy unifying blanket of light in the scene on the right and delivers a beautiful, peaceful mood. His harmoniously balanced compositions evoke the tranquil, undisturbed celebration of sublime nature. Van Gogh used color to express feelings and spirituality, and this coloristic composition creates a joyful, yet peaceful mood. The omnipresent strokes of yellow flowing from the sun provides the feeling of continuous energy and warmth. Van Gogh’s vibrant colors in the painting range from cool blues and greens to singed reds and bright yellows, a hue that he used to great effect. There is an inherent variety of colors in the dense green foliage. In the shade, the bark and leaves appear to have bluish-grey
The French 1884 oil on canvas painting The Song of the Lark by Jules-Adolphe Breton draws grasps a viewer’s attention. It draws an observer in by its intense but subtle subject matter and by the luminous sun in the background. Without the incandescent sun and the thoughtful look of the young woman, it would just be a bland earth-toned farm landscape. However, Breton understood what to add to his painting in order to give it drama that would instantly grab an onlooker’s interest.
Painted by Vincent Van Gogh during a final burst of activity in Auvers before his suicide in July, Houses at Auvers features many of the characteristic elements typical of Van Gogh; the experimentation with color, texture, and thick brush strokes. This painting depicts the view and landscape in early summer, highlighting the patchwork of houses and the rolling greenery. Van Gogh’s unique, thick brush strokes lead the eyes through the painting, create texture and patterns and also highlight and shadow objects in the early summer sun, while his experimentation with color creates contrast and a bright, vibrant image.
Van Gogh had sympathy for the peasants and furthered his passion for humanity. He studied them non-stop to explore their world. The color palette he chose was dark and crudely painted on, almost grungy. It’s a low-lit kitchen area, with the look and feel of exhaustion that the dark color palette engages the viewer to feel what is going on.
On the other hand, the leaves of the tree vividly expressed the autumn, the bright yellow leaves throw in with the dark-orange ones with dark-green leaves ornament. Finally, with the black brushes outlining, the painting brings the tree in
Like many of Van Gogh’s paintings, Olive Trees commences as a landscape and expands into a complex work, disclosing influences from other times and places. Using the color theory and separated brushstrokes of the Impressionists, the movement and vivid colors of the Romantics, and lighting and composition inspired by Millet, Van Gogh achieves the potency and significance that characterizes his work. Van Gogh’s paintings can’t possibly be mistaken for those of another artist of his time because, despite the fact that all of his means have criterion, his end results do not.
In art, color is a very vivid element that attracts the audience’s attention, and allow us to think deeply about our innermost feelings. Van Gogh’s use of light and dark colors used in the night sky provide great contrast in order to capture our attention. The darker blue gives the art a gloomy feeling and could perhaps represent isolation. The lighter blue helps to draw attention to the swirls that Van Gogh made in the sky. The yellow accentuates the swirls even more because it is the brightest color found in the art piece. Blue and