Biography: Vincent Van Gogh – Part 12

Vincent Van Gogh, dutch born and an exquisite painter. I visited the place that Vincent spent his last 90 days and the place he ultimately took his life. The field where he painted his last paintings with the black crows and ominous skies and where he wrote disturbed letters to his brother about his state of mind.

We walked the cobble streets, and winding pathways into the natural green ancient trees that probably shaded Van Gogh as he walked to the fields everyday.

We went to the place where he died, the small room where he hung his paintings – everything had been left exactly as it was before he died. No one had changed it since then, the hooks in the wall.

Watching the paintings flick up on the slide show, they displayed his words of emptiness and despair, and one felt desperately for this man who wanted to paint for a

living and felt like a burden on his brother.

Auvers sur oise is a beautiful town that still remains old looking. Not much different to the paintings that he did of it that are placed outside the famous church, the garden, the steps, the fields, the buildings that he painted!

This took my breath away. This man, who didn’t ask for much in life but felt too hopeless to continue, ending his brother’s torment, he ended his life.

When I returned from Paris and our trip to England and Ireland, I read his letters to his brother Theo and began to delve deeper into his suffering and into why he killed himself. I also wrote an account of his death, from his point of view.

So special was the bond between the brothers that Theo died within six months of Vincent, he never recovered from the loss of his brother. His devoted wife after burying Theo in Holland, moved him to be with Vincent in the field where he died and now they have this wonderful grave with ivy growing over their graves, they are together, as in life, they are in death.

It is one of the saddest and most touching stories that I know of, not only his beautiful art but the love between these two brothers and their devotion for each other. Even Theo’s wife’s determination to keep them together in death.

Amazing story. Vincent there is so much more to say about him, but I couldn’t possibly fit it all in. I have done a lot of reading and studying about him. However this was my most profound experience of Van Gogh. Leaving this town felt like we were leaving Van Gogh. It was a truly moving experience.

Biography: Vincent Van Gogh – Part 18

Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born on March 30th, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, the Netherlands. He was the eldest of six children (three sisters and two brothers) and while showing no artistic talent growing up, his sister had said that he was a ’serious and introspective child’. Details of Vincent’s early childhood are extremely sketchy and researchable history of him begins at the age of sixteen.

In 1870, the sixteen year old Vincent was employed by Goupil & Co. to train as an art dealer in a Hague Gallery, kindling his appreciation for paintings and drawings but failing to hold his interest in his own job. He was transferred to London in 1873, and again to Paris in 1875. In 1876, Vincent was dismissed by Goupil for lack of motivation and Vincent turned to religion, determined to follow in the footsteps of his Protestant father, Reverend Theodorus Van Gogh. Vincent accepted the position of Teaching Assistant in Ramsgate (near London) and stayed for some months before returning to Amsterdam to study Theology in 1877.

He dropped out in 1878 and became a layman preacher in a poor mining region, Borinage, in Belgium. Vincent wasn’t content with preaching to the peasants in a more acceptable, Protestant manner, but took himself and his church into the mines themselves. He was fired after only six months, the church considered his unapologetic empathy for the peasants improper, but stayed and continued to preach, without pay, until 1880. It was here among the poor miners and their families that Vincent first began to sketch in charcoal. His concern for the workers finally sparking his natural talent.

At the urging of his favorite brother, Theo (four years his junior), Vincent returned to Amsterdam to take art lessons from his cousin, Anton Mauve at the Hague in 1880. Vincent, completely penniless, was supported financially by Theo up until the day he died. In 1881, Vincent declared his love to his widowed cousin, Kee Vos and was rejected. Many believed that this incident marked the beginning of Vincent’s mental decline, with what now would be diagnosed as Bi-Polarism. He lived, briefly, with a prostitute and her children but at the urging of Theo and under the very disapproving influence of his father, Vincent ended the relationship.

In 1884, Vincent and Anton Mauve split over artistic differences, but the influences of the Hague School would remain in Vincent’s brushwork and the way he played with the light. (It was in his use of dark colors

Museum reviews: The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam – Part 2

This museum houses the biggest collection of the artist’s work held in one place as well as displaying works by other artists of the period – this is interesting as it gives you an opportunity to put Van Gogh’s work into context.

The Museum is located close to the Rijksmuseum and is easy to find. It is housed in a modern building which has wheelchair access. The building also has lifts to the upper floors. The admission prices are displayed clearly at the entrance and you can pay with Euros, although I think I saw a sign indicating that sterling is also accepted.

Prices are as follows

- adults 9 Euros

- children 12 and under – free

- 13-18 year olds – 2.50 Euros

You can take an audio tour with headphones, available in several languages and this costs an additional 4 Euros.

The main structure of the building was completed in 1973 and designed by Gerrit Rietveld, a member of the De Stijl group – a group of progressive designers who were primarily active in the 1920s. The most impressive feature of this part of the museum for me was the staircase in the central hall. This is essentially an atrium so that daylight enters from above and floods the gallery areas. This is good because you get a more natural view of the works rather than too much artificial light.

The exhibition wing of the museum (where temporary exhibitions are shown) was completed in 1999 and was designed by a Japanese architect, Kisho Kurokawa. (I’m not familiar with it but, if you’ve ever been there, he designed the main buildings at Kuala Lumour airport). This part of the building bears an impressive sweeping curve and is rather beautiful.

On the ground floor there are exhibits relating to Van Gogh’s early and personal life. These include some of the letters which made up the correspondence between Vincent and his brother Theo.

Moving up to the first floor, this is where you’ll

find the bulk of the works by Van Gogh displayed in this museum. The paintings are arranged chronologically and into five sections which correlate nicely with periods of the artist’s life based on where he lived at the time. When viewing the collection as a whole, it is easy to see how Van Gogh’s style changed according to his surroundings – not just the locations but also the people with whom he he surrounded himself.

The first section covers the paintings executed in the Netherlands and includes one his most famous works “The Potato Eaters” (1885). This was his first large scale work

Museum reviews: The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

There are many sites and attractions to see in Amsterdam, and although most people will immediately think of the city’s Red Light District, there is in fact a great deal of history packed into the Dutch capital. The Rijksmuseum is one museum, housing the world famous “Nightwatch”, but nearby is also the Van Gogh Museum.

The Van Gogh Museum was only open in 1973, but has quickly established itself as a major tourist attraction in Amsterdam’s Museumplein, and annually in excess of 1.5million people pass through the museum’s doors. There is a simple reason for this popularity, as the Van Gogh Museum is home to the largest single collection of the works of Vincent Van Gogh. There is though much more on offer in the museum than the work of Vincent Van Gogh, as intermixed with his work is that of his rivals, so in one place you can get a feel for the artistic times in which Van Gogh lived.

Even before you are able to take in Van Gogh’s work most people will comment upon the building that houses the artwork. Although opened in 1973, the Van Gigh Museum building was originally designed by Gerrit Rietveld, a renowned Dutch architect, and although he died in 1964, the work was completed after his death. An additional wing was added to the building in 1999, designed by the recently deceased Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. The design and building of the museum has resulted in a modern structure, which flows and offers easy accessibility to all. The design also allows for the paintings to be seen in natural light, as light is allowed to enter through the main atrium.

The design of the building also allows for a logical progression through the time periods of Van Gogh’s work. There are some two hundred paintings in the collection, as well as seven hundred letters, five hundred drawings and various other prints. The collection itself has in the majority has passed through the hands of the Van Gogh family, starting with Vincent’s younger brother, Theo Van Gogh. A large part of the collection is as a result in theory only on permanent loan to the museum from the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation. Many of the other non-Van Gogh work in the collection, including Millet and Gauguin, was originally brought by Vincent and Theo, although profits from entrance fees also goes to enlarging the collection.

With so many paintings on show it is impossible here to comment on them all, but there are some notable pieces in the collection, a collection that is split into five

Biography: Vincent Van Gogh – Part 11

The brilliant painter, Vincent van Gogh, was born in the Netherlands in 1853, the son of a minister. He had 2 brothers and 3 sisters, but was closest to his brother Theo. His letters to Theo form the largest part of what is known about his attitudes and feelings.

Though some of his artwork is among the most expensive in the world, Vincent van Gogh sadly never sold a painting in his life.

After starting out with a middle-of-the-road realist style, van Gogh moved on to the style which he is famous for, which was centered around bright colors and a thick application of paint. The first time I saw one of van Gogh’s works in person, I was amazed at the thickness of his paint.

He spent time painting in several cities, including Paris and Arles,

Vincent van Gogh’s most famous painting is probably “The Starry Night”, which he painted while in a mental hospital in Saint-Remy.

Vincent is also famous for chopping off part of his own ear. Needless to say, he had some emotional problems, and, no doubt, if he were alive today he would be medicated for his dreary state of mind.

My question is this: Would he have made the same wonderful art if his mood was flattened with Prozac?