Vincent Van Gogh’s painting was created in 1889 and titled Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. In contrast to Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait, Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait was painted in1944 and titled The Broken Column. Although both artists used the same medium, oil paint, and expressed themselves similarly, they represent themselves in very different ways to feature their individual styles. The artists had both dealt with physical and psychological pain that had greatly influenced their art and allowed them to express their inner emotions. Vincent Van Gogh uses color and the texture in his brushstrokes to express emotion, while Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait uses a variety of colors and is more expressive through the use of objects and symbols to state the emotional intensity of her work. In their artwork they reveal their cultural contents as well as their time periods, how their individual styles were developed, and the events prior to the The incident started when Vincent Van Gogh had a dream to create an artist colony with a friend, Paul Gauguin. They lived together for some time, but the situation between them worsened. The two had fought and Vincent eventually lost control and threatened Paul with a knife and as a result, Paul packed his things and left. Vincent became overwhelmed after the incident and went into depression, which caused him to cut off his ear. The portrait shows him in his calm state after his breakdown and expresses his acceptance of the incident and his feeling of hope by using bright colors and simplified style. The Japanese woodblock print on the wall reveals the origin of the style that he uses. Vincent Van Gogh’s condition caused him to have mood swings that led to his depression and various incidents in his life, leading up until his death. He painted using his unique style and expressed his emotions through the use of
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...
Each respective piece of art is no doubt a self portrait, but how each artist is represented in the two pieces is where the contrasting elements come into play. In Portrait
I will first address Vincent van Gogh and his tempestuous life and the magnificent art that was the result of his illness. According to Dr. Deitrich Blumer, in the article “The Illness of Vincent van Gogh”, she writes, No incidents of mental illness are recorded among van Gogh’s ancestors” (American Journal of Psychiatry Blumer 519). According to her research and that of Gastaut, a former Doctor of Vincent’s, he likely suffered an early brain injury as a child because of what is observed from childhood pictures contrasted against later self-portraits in which he is painted with a significant craniofacial asymmetry (Blumer 519). His condition would later be exasperated by his drinking of absinthe, an alcoholic beverage that is known to cause hallucinations.
Art historian Griselda Pollock, in her documentary entitled The Legend of van Gogh, stated that ‘there are several van Goghs.’ To agree or disagree with this statement, one must firstly understand the point Pollock is attempting to get across. One could interpret this opinion as meaning that there are various artistic styles and several facets of van Gogh’s life that can be critically analysed; having this understanding of Pollock’s attitude toward van Gogh, it would be difficult not to agree with her.
Frida Kahlo is known for the most influential Latin American female artist. She is also known as a rebellious feminist. Kahlo was inspired to paint after her near-death bus incident when she was 17. After this horrendous incident that scarred her for life, she went under 35 different operations. These operations caused her extreme pain and she was no longer able to have kids. Kahlo’s art includes self portraits of her emotions, pain, and representations of her life. Frida Kahlo was an original individual, not only in her artwork but also in her
Throughout history art has played a major role in society. It started out with paintings and went to photography and eventually to films. Artistic interpretation depended on whom the artist was and what he or she wanted to present to the audience. When it came to portraiture, whether it was paintings or photography, the idea of mimesis was very important. However important this may have been, the portraits were mostly products of the media and fashions during that time period. Whatever was popular during the time was used such as columns or curtains in the background. The face was the main focus in the painting and there was little focus on the body. Later on during photography the body was focused on more. Even though photography was used much later after paintings were used, it allowed the artist even more artistic interpretation because of the ability to play a different role and not having to be ones self. The artists that will be focused on are Frida Kahlo and Cindy Sherman. They lived during different periods and their artistic intentions varied because of that. They also had similarities in that they thought outside of the conventional roles. These women were both self-portraiture artists and although they were considered that their interpretations did not always make their portraits self-portraits. Traditionally the artist was an outsider, but when it came to self-portraiture they became the subject and the audience became the outsider. The similarities and differences of Frida Kahlo and Cindy Sherman’s art were tied into the strength and also vulnerability they had because of their roles as women. They wanted the audience to see a background story to the portraits and not just an image of a beautiful face.
Vincent was an influential post-Impressionist painter born in 1853, Netherlands. With Theo van Gogh’s association, Vincent met reputable Impressionist painters such as Émile Henri Bernard and Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin. Impressionism served as a platform for Vincent in developing his own style . He explored with colours, a stark contrast from his usual dark and sombre style. The influence of Japonisme charmed Vincent into residing in Arles where he began painting landscapes. Thereafter, Vincent voluntarily checked into Saint-Rémy sanatorium where his works reflected strong colours and lights of the countryside around him. His manic depression and epileptic condition, led to his suicide on July 27th 1890.
They often reduced the imagery in Kahlo’s work with an urge to “paint away” her accident, all the suffering, and the pain; this does little justice to her work, reducing it to merely a visual cry of personal anguish. It diminishes a significant aspect that is an essential element that runs throughout her life and her work, which she did with a deep intelligence and socially committed point of view.
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican woman who had strong passion for painting. She always contained a very joyful air and loved to display her culture. In the PBS film clip: The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo, stated that “[she was] crippled at nineteen, in a terrible accident, that left her with permanent injuries.” As a result, she was left with a lot of time on her hands, and this is how she took up painting. She expressed her life full of pain, and the problems that she faced with her emotional, complex, and vibrant paintings. The text, Two Perspectives on Cultural Identity by Hayden Herrera tells, “Painting herself bleeding, cracked open, she transformed her pain into art with remarkable frankness tempered by humor and fantasy.” This point
Art is a very important part of humanity’s history, and it can be found anywhere from the walls of caves to the halls of museums. The artists that created these works of art were influenced by a multitude of factors including personal issues, politics, and other art movements. Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh, two wildly popular artists, have left behind artwork, that to this day, influences and fascinates people around the world. Their painting styles and personal lives are vastly different, but both artists managed to capture the emotions that they were feeling and used them to create artwork.
Frida Kahlo was born on 6 July, 1907 in Mexico City, Mexico. Growing up, she encountered numerous misfortunes that left her physically handicap. Kahlo had withered legs as a result of polio as a child and at age 18, her spine and pelvis were injured during a train incident that left her casted for months. This particular accident took a physical and physiological toll on her, causing her to be hospitalized for years and being the main source for Kahlo’s mental instability and depression during the time. The rest of her life was marked by enormous physical pain and repeated operations, where her physical suffering and social isolation inspired numerous works, of which included a multitude of self portraits. Kahlo stated that her focus tended
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter of mixed heritage, born on July 6 1907, and lived a short life of 47 painful years before passing away on July 13, 1954.Throughout her life, she painted numerous profound self-portraits and ‘Is best known for a collection of highly emotive and deeply political paintings’ (Glass 239). There are two specific self-portraits that are absolutely breathtaking ‘Two Fridas, 1930’ and ‘Henry ford hospital, 1932’. The main theme in both of these paintings is ‘Identity’ and these paintings are a depiction of her physical pain and struggle, which are indeed a big part of her identity.
Jackson Pollack and Vincent van Gogh are some of most famous artist before and after their time. Each artist has a similar and different painting methods that they use when painting pictures. There most well-known paintings are called “Number 1” and “The Starry Night”. The paintings give off emotion by how they look, but each one is painted in different ways. The public did not find their paintings wanting when they were made. The difference was how long it took for them to get recognized for their work. Lastly, the paintings gave different and similar reactions to people that have changed over the years of their existence.
The turmoil began early for this young woman. At age six, she was stricken with polio, which left her walking with a limp. From the beginning Kahlo did not intend to become an artist. She was attending school at The Preparatoria (Preparatory) to become a famous doctor (Frida Kahlo n.d.). It was on September 17, 1925 that the most pivotal moment in her life occurred. Kahlo was on her way home from school when she became involved in a tragic bus accident. She was discovered by her boyfriend at the time, Alejandro Gomez Avais. Her slender body had been pierced by a hand rail (Lucie-Smith 1999). Many, including doctors, thought she wouldn’t make it. She proved wrong after surviving various surgeries. For a year she was put in bed to recuperate. The accident left her with a broken back, broken pelvis, and a crushed leg. During her recuperation she taught herself she taught herself to paint by studying Italian Renaissance (Frida Kahlo n.d.). She began painting portraits of family members and still life from her bed.
... She has said that “I paint whatever passes through my head without any consideration”, but this is not quite true as it is obvious that her works have been extremely thought-out and are all very complex. Kahlo’s self-portraits are often categorised as “expressionist” portraits. This is when an artwork depicts emotional experiences rather than reality. However, Kahlo’s works are more of a mixture between expressionism and realism, because they emphasise emotional and physical experiences.