There have been many artists that came over the years who are written in the creased pages of history because of their extraordinary works in the fields of painting, poetry, filmmaking etc. The artist which I am going to talk about is a prolific Dutch painter Van Gogh. Vincent Willem Van Gogh is considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time. He was born in the mid of nineteenth century, 1853. He was a post-impressionist painter, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential painters in Western art. Although his paintings were unparalleled in terms of beauty and elegance, Van Gogh remained poor his entire life and he was not highly regarded during his career. It was only after his tragic death that people came to know the importance of his work (van Gogh-Bonger and Gayford).
Van Gogh created over 2000 paintings. He made use of oil in his paintings, producing over 850 oil paintings in the later stages of his life. He made use of dramatic bold and dark colors and his brushwork, exhibiting impulsive and dramatic expressions made his paintings stand out from the rest of the painters’ works. Largely he used oil as the medium for his paintings. Van Gogh’s artwork consists of painting landscapes, scenery, and figures with strong and expressive colors which exhibited his feelings and emotions (www.artble.com). The stories around Van Gogh circulate that he sometimes would employ paints in his paintings directly from impasto. The paintings of Van Gogh were largely in two dimensions.
Van Gogh has influenced a number of art movements, and it can be clearly seen from the paintings that were made after his death. The painters that came after Van Gogh was inspired by the way he used to employ colors in his painting. The members of the expressionism movement were inspired by Van Gogh’s paintings and they adopted the technique used by him in the paintings. During the lifetime of Van Gogh, he was constantly fighting battles with him. His psychological state was deteriorating as well as his physical health. It is clear from his paintings, especially the ones he drew at the end of his life, which he used to paint hastily as if he did not have enough time to live. The technique of Van Gogh’s to use colors to express his emotions and feelings rather than depicting a realistic painting was inspirational.
Van Gogh had produced some of the best works in the Western art, but his best work is widely considered to be a painting he did in the waning stages of his life, in the year of 1889. The painting was called ‘Starry Night’. The special aspect of this painting is that it was drawn out of memory (www.theartstory.org). Van Gogh was not standing in front of a beautiful land or watching the stars as he drew it, it was from memory that he produced one of the finest works of modern art. In the painting, Van Gogh drew a swirling sky that depicted his turbulent state of mind. Van Gogh’s another famous painting was Café Terrace, which was painted in the year of 1888, a year before he painted Starry Night. Café Terrace was painted in Arles, where Van Gogh was staying. It was the same place where Van Gogh cut off his ear. Van Gogh was constantly depressed because he was not gaining the recognition he deserved and he was living in penury. Café Terrace was one of the very first paintings in Arles, which had a night as a background in the painting.
Van Gogh was largely inspired by the painters who followed the Post-Impressionist and Impressionist movement. He followed the techniques and styles of great painters such as Monet, Gauguin, Bernard, and Pissarro. From their paintings and styles, he continued to add more bright colors in the paintings. The earlier paintings of Van Gogh had more bold and dark colors, but the later paintings had, to some extent, brighter touch. In the year of 1889, Van Gough painted ‘The Bedroom’. This is the same room where he had stayed in Arles. It looks like a small room, with a couple of chairs, table, and a bed. He had employed rather bright colors in this painting. It is a similar type of painting that the Impressionists used to paint. Van Gogh painted this painting to suggest that this is the room where he sometimes finds peace and calm. This painting exhibits calmness. I personally like this painting of his.
Van Gogh’s most famous painting ‘Starry Night’ is the epitome of his work. The painting has dark colors and the sky seems to be swirling and there is a bright moonshining. He used oil as a medium in his painting. For Van Gogh to add balance in this turbulent painting which depicts a whirling sky, he followed the principles of composition and structure. Van Gogh showed through this painting his tumult state, both physical and mental. This is one of my favorite paintings of Van Gogh. One of my all-time favorite paintings is Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, which was painted in his last year, 1890. Van Gogh painted his physician who had treated him when Van Gogh cut off his own ear. He grew fond of the physician. In this painting, his eyes are a most noticeable aspect which shows deep sadness, both of the physician’s and Van Gogh’s. He wanted to paint one of the most broken and heart-wrenching paintings and so he painted this painting, which shows a man who has succumbed to the slough of despond. Oil was the medium used in this painting. This painting of Van Gogh’s is the best I consider he has painted in terms of expression and message.
Works Cited
“Vincent Van Gogh Biography, Art, And Analysis Of Works.” The Art Story. N. p., 2018. Web. 26 Mar. 2018.
“Vincent Van Gogh Style And Technique.” Artble. N. p., 2018. Web. 26 Mar. 2018.
van Gogh-Bonger, Jo, and Martin Gayford. A Memoir of Vincent van Gogh. Getty Publications, 2018.
