PAINTING - A TRIBUTE TO VAN GOGH

Of the hundreds of paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, I have taken these three paintings which broadly reflect the life he lived. ‘Lust for Life’ by Irving Stone is one of the most intense and emotionally moving biographies, though fictionalised, that I have ever read and remains one of my favourites. Much has been written about Van Gogh but the original material for all these are the letters written by him to his brother Theo. Theo was Vincent’s sole mode of sustenance throughout his life. So it is even more poignant to note that Theo died six months after his brother passed away.

Van Gogh was born on 30^th March 1853 and died on 29^th July 1890 at the age of thirty seven. He lived a stormy life filled with torment and poverty, admitted to a mental asylum and ultimately shot himself to death. It looked as though he was constantly in search of better and better ways of expressing himself. His early paintings when he was perfecting his techniques are marked by their sombre dark tones particularly dark brown. It was only later he came to Paris at his brother’s insistence, who told him that his paintings were too dark and not in line with the bright impressionist paintings that were the order of the day. He came into contact with the works of impressionists like Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, Pissarro and others. It was here that he had a turbulent friendship with Paul Gauguin. Despite coming under the influence of the impressionists, he developed his own style which is labelled as Post impressionism or Expressionism. He moved away from actual representation of things to representation of the artists subjective emotions. The works of expressionism are marked by violent colours and exaggerated lines. These are very noticeable in Van Gogh’s paintings especially the later period. As he moved slowly in to mental instability, one can notice the hardening of the brushstrokes, as if the painting was done in a frenzy. That is where his painting ‘wheatfield with crows’ seems symbolic of impending doom. It is one of his most powerful paintings and painted only weeks before his death. It is believed that this was his last painting, but this is debated.

When one looks at the other two paintings, we are overwhelmed by the extent of Van Gogh’s identification with the hard life of the labourer and the poor peasant. The misery of the life led by these people especially the miners and their families when he worked as a missionary with them for nearly two years, is reflected in his paintings. ‘The Potato Eaters’ though painted much later in 1885 is considered as his first great work of art.

The purpose of this posting is not to chronicle the life of Van Gogh, it is only to pay a tribute to one of the greatest painters who during his lifetime lived in penury and only for his art and whose paintings sell for millions long after his death. I repeat Van Gogh’s own words as to the meaning of his life, which he was still in search of, when he killed himself:

"And my aim in my life is to make pictures and drawings, as many and as well as I can; then, at the end of my life, I hope to pass away, looking back with love and tender regret, and thinking, 'Oh, the pictures I might have made!'"

                                  Peasants Shoes

 

                                    


                                         The Potato Eaters

                                         

                                         Wheat filed with Crows