Vincent Van Gogh ~ A Legacy of Nervous Anxiety

I'm probably only one of a handful of people who don't enjoy looking at Van Gogh's paintings. They make me nervous. I can feel the loneliness, confusion and fear. It's impossible for an artist to hide their mental state from the world. Take Mark Rothko for example. Shortly after his palette went completely black he committed suicide. Dark colors such as those chosen by Rothko and another favorite Edvard Munch shout to the world that severe depression has set in.

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

David Nordahl's Farewell to Michael Jackson

I recently came across David Nordahl's farewell note to Michael Jackson posted on art.com. The artist gave a very brief peek into his 20 year friendship with the musical genius stating that each time he was with Michael and his children he gained a new appreciation for Michael's talent, wit and intelligence. I must say that the rumors that surrounded Michael were upsetting. Was the self proclaimed King of Pop guilty of molesting children -- I don't think so. And reading words like these which were spoken by someone who actually knew Michael makes me doubt the allegations even more. I'm sure Michael was incredibly grateful to be surrounded by loyal friends like David Nordahl who despite being forced to deal with negative press due to their friendship remained beside him.

Over a 17 year period David accepted several requests from Michael along with many others to paint for him. Michael's imagination, regal self image and love for children called for story book images. Michael who never wanted to lose his child-like enthusiasm for life always envisioned himself surrounded by children. In one painting entitled, 'Field of Dreams' the artist painted Michael leading a group of children down the fabled yellow brick road. In another Micheal is a statues figure surrounded by little angels placing flowers in his hair. Once the scandal broke the artist was forced to defend his creations. David Nordahl did so by simply stating the truth -- the images he brought to life on canvas were nothing more than the product of Michael's imagination and there was nothing sinister about them. Looking at the paintings and considering the wealthy client who paid upwards to $150,000 per painting one can clearly see that the artist did a brilliant job on each commissioned piece of artwork. In fact, he gave the client much more than his money's worth. An accomplishment that when dealing with eccentric clients is almost impossible to achieve.

Many today aren't aware of the fact that David Nordahl was already a well established artist prior to his Michael Jackson paintings. In fact, Michael came across his artwork while visiting a famous friend's, Steven Spielberg, office. It was Apache Indians and their conflicts with the United States Military that made David famous not Michael Jackson. And although he will be remembered like so many others for his friendship with the King of Pop those of us who love American history and our children will remain forever grateful to him for bringing the 19th century western frontier to life.