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.
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,
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...
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.
...ded after his death, it was Artaud that claimed, “No, Van Gogh is not crazy, he was pushed to suicidal despair by a society which rejected his works.” Whether or not Artaud’s theory is correct, Vincent Van Gogh was in fact very ill and his paintings are famous for how lucid they are in illustrating the way his mental illness affected him. Van Gogh’s post-impressionist style is very unique of the late 19th century in France and most of his work was done with impasto technique as a way of expression. It is recognizable that his illness had a larger impact on his paintings’ subject matters than the style they were painted in. Vincent Van Gogh’s fame mostly came after his death, and while his paintings did help him to express himself, they now live on to visually translate the true, unwritten stories of his life and the effects paintings have with a mental illness.
When first approaching this work, one feels immediately attracted to its sense of wonder and awe. The bright colors used in the sun draws a viewer in, but the astonishment, fascination, and emotion depicted in the expression on the young woman keeps them intrigued in the painting. It reaches out to those who have worked hard in their life and who look forward to a better future. Even a small event such as a song of a lark gives them hope that there will be a better tomorrow, a thought that can be seen though the countenance by this girl. Although just a collection of oils on a canvas, she is someone who reaches out to people and inspires them to appreciate the small things that, even if only for a short moment, can make the road ahead seem brighter.
This painting consists of three parts, with curving lines distinctly separating each of the parts. The foreground details a brick house with a thatch roof and a person walking along a path, the mid-ground depicts houses further away and the undulating greenery, and the background highlights the break between earth and sky with the tree line. The main objects in the Houses at Auvers are blocky houses, with a path cutting through the landscape and a person on the path. This...
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
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
Vincent Van Gogh never gave up his style and insight in his early work compared to his later work. I will discuss the comparison of the Potato Eaters and Starry Night and even though there are obvious differences, the core of his passion and eccentricities can be seen.
During this time, new technologies impacted every aspect of life, rapidly changing the art world. Post-Impressionist artists learned skills, discipline, and value from the Impressionists before them, as well as the use of light, shadow, and color. However, these artists were more concerned about placing an emphasis on expression, structure, and form. Although they continued to use these learned techniques, they deposed the notion that art had to be represented in its true-life form, and thus moved away from realistic or natural representation. Preferring the more expressive effect that came from within themselves. they explored new techniques, perspectives, and shapes, incorporating their own new ideas into their art, such as placing emphasis on geometric form, or the actual distortion of form (MindEdge) which can be seen Van Gogh’s
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.
One of the most famous Post-Impressionists was the Dutch artist, Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh believed that art was a form of expression. Painting was an emotional and spiritual experience for him. He painted not only how he interpreted his surroundings, but his sensations and feelings on his subjects. One of his most famous paintings, Starry Night, is a perfect representation of this Post-Impressionistic style of painting.
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.
The organic lines helps to illustrate the wind blowing hard, rolling hills and texture of the sky. Organic lines are found in nature and are irregular, fluid, and curved which helps to convey a sense of gracefulness. Contour lines are the outline of a specific subject to allow it to stand out more. The contour lines in Starry Night are found on the cypress tree and the hills in the background. The cypress tree fills up most of the left side on the canvas which means it is another major focus of the art piece. The contour lines give the cypress tree volume and make it look like a huge black flame reaching for the sky and towering over the town, giving off a sense of mourning and death. The contour lines on top of the hills help to seperate the hills from the night sky and provide shadow. The organic lines help give the piece a sense of motion and