A love for Van Gogh
Updated: Jun 15, 2022
"The way to know life is to know many things."
If you’ve been following me for a while, you are well familiar with my obsession with Vincent Van Gogh. It’s really no news that I absolutely adore his work. In this blog I’m going to make an attempt to share a little insight to what draws me to his paintings and his story.
I grew up familiar to the name of Vincent Van Gogh, I knew he was a famous artist, but it was only recently I realised that he is in fact one of my idols when it comes to art and living as an artist. Especially after starting my undergraduate degree in fine arts, I became so much more invested in Van Gogh. I have tried recreating his paintings and I own an art book about him and I turn to it when I need a break from life. Just flipping through those pages brings me a sort of peace that nothing else can quite achieve.
Starry Night
The Starry Night was the very first painting of Van Gogh I was introduced to. I was gifted a framed painting of this work several years ago, and it hangs on my wall till today. Looking at this painting at around 13 years of age, I felt a weird surge of magic. I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but the strokes and colours were like magnets.
the painting on my gallery wall
I’ve been drawing and painting almost all 21 years of my life, and for all those years I’ve been told
to stick to the rules, stay inside the lines, don’t get messy. And here I was, staring at this magnificent painting, a mind of a 13 year old, thinking- how do you make something look chaotic and calm at the same time. All of the calculated yet free brushstrokes… I was so utterly fascinated.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but looking at this painting, it almost seemed to be moving- a restless motion, an incredible blend of madness and serenity. I was blown away. And at some point, that is what I wanted out of my art and out of my life. It was inspiring.
The Sunflowers
I have pretty much told every single person in my life how much I love sunflowers. They’re my favourite. I like to think that if we were ever to describe a happy smile in terms of a flower, it would be the sunflower. And in terms of a colour, it would be the colour of a sunflower. It brings me joy just looking at them. I like to think they are kind and joyful, and if you were ever feeling down, they’d know just what to say to cheer you up.
And there was some thing special about looking at the painted sunflowers of Van Gogh. I’ve never seen these paintings in person ( and that is something I would really like to do one day) but they fill me with certain emotion.
some sunflowers painted by Van Gogh
I learnt that the sunflower paintings held special place in Van Gogh’s heart, as to him they symbolised light and gratitude. I read that he had filled his sunflower-coloured, rented "yellow house" with sunflower paintings upon learning that Gauguin would be arriving to live with him. He did so to contrast his mental and financial situation and make his house a bright and cheerful place to stay for his friend. And somehow, I actually understand that symbolism.
some art I've made inspired by sunflowers
The bright yellows and gleaming golds of this flower really do evoke a feeling of gratitude in me as well. Its like this wonderful psychological resonance. I wish I could describe how and why, its just plain magical. Learning the reason behind his sunflower paintings made me more appreciative of sunflowers.
Painting even on the bad days
I admire Van Gogh's work ethic. And you can tell from his paintings his ambition was to always show up. In a world of artists that wait for the right time of day, wait for the right light, or wait for inspiration to strike, Van Gogh picked up his brushes regardless of his atmosphere. The bright, sunny days, and the gloomy, dark days got the same amount of attention.
It shows such great passion and it is a quality I'd like to work on. I tend to give up on art every now and then if I'm not "feeling it". But showing up everyday is a work ethic trait that I would like to possess not just in my art and art endeavours, but my life endeavours alike.
You pick up your paint brush, you show up, and you just see how it goes.
Loving Vincent: loving the movie
This movie was inspiring. The art, the making of, and the entirely painted film was nothing short of life changing. It was a visual treat, to say the least. An entire movie depicted in the signature style and colours of Van Gogh- truly humbling to watch. Even though this is in fact a motion picture, the way it was painted brought a certain added-on dynamic motion to it. I was hooked till the end. It was a craft. The film brought such life to not only the characters, but the backgrounds and the scenes as well.
I had been a fan of his paintings, but upon watching this movie I had a heightened curiosity to learn more about his life. I purchased my very first Van Gogh art book describing his life and his work. It is a priced possession. And not even stopping at that, I continue to watch documentaries and videos about my favourite artist.
Van Gogh's incredible manner of painting certainly touches my heart. The sharp, short brush strokes from his impressionist style paintings mimic the art of woodcuts. I feel a certain resonance with the colours in his paintings, the contrast, the pastels, the boldness, its all so very breath-taking. He used his colours in such an astonishing and impressive way, a quality that not many could quite possess. He genuinely saw the world differently.
I'd like to leave you with one of my favourite quotes by Van Gogh.
“It is good to love many things,
for therein lies the true strength,
and whosoever loves much
performs much,
and can accomplish much,
and what is done in love
is well done."
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