With Van Gogh the message was not so clear. His actions not his art told the story. He always chose bright palettes. His was a different sort of mental illness. The kind that cuts, bleeds and sent his close friend Paul Gauguin fleeing the studio they shared in fear. Van Gogh fought hard against the madness but at times it completely consumed him. When one studies his brush strokes they too begin to feel a somewhat maddening nervous anxiety.
With that said those of us who love modern art do owe Van Gogh a great deal of gratitude. His art took us beyond post impressionism right to the edge of modern art when he painted, 'Wheat field with Crows'. This painting makes me nervous too but in it I can see not just a legacy of a nervous anxiety but pure unbridled talent and artistic genius. Sadly, Van Gogh shot himself the same month he painted these wheat fields in Auvers. In this painting Van Gogh does reveal his true mental state at the time. And what we see in this painting is a mind contemplating suicide -- three indecisive paths, a dark sky with black crows overhead symbolizing death looming in the distance.
I wish Van Gogh could have foreseen the future. If he had known how many people would someday revere him as a great master no doubt he would have had a much happier life. No one knows what tomorrow might bring.
"In art, all who have done something other than their predecessors have merited the epithet of revolutionary; and it is they alone who are masters." Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?"
~ Paul Gauguin
5 comments:
Rachet Hello, I am writing from South America Ica Peru, you send a short message to Lala Ema admired for his photographs to my also I like, picncho your blog and I find a note from Vincent, and what I read conmucho interest. Felicitacones.
Wow, you bring up some good points. No artist can keep their emotions and mind out of their art, whether it's painting, music, or whatever. Good points.
I have to say that I never really understood or appreciated van Gogh's work until I saw it right before my eyes. Both in Amsterdam and in Paris, and then the breath was sucked right out of me.
A few almost made me cry. I think it's very possible, that like you, I was picking up on the mental anguish of the person who had created these images. But still the beauty of them was as strong as the emotions.
Thank you for visiting my blog. I look forward to checking in with you again and seeing what you have to share.
totally agree with you,
so nice to read a blog that really says something..
I'm just signing on and have to say I'm enjoying these blogs. I can appreciate your view and how it affects you. Art should speak to you (even when the messege is hard to hear). We all gravitate to the art that speaks to us when we first see it. For some, it's order and symmetry. For others, chaos. For me, it's a mix.
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