Vincent Van Gogh

Art Awareness

Worth over 200,000 IPAD 3’s today !

= $105M

Irises ( 1890)

Have you seen this painting before?

Worth over 300,000 IPAD 3’s today !

= $150M

Portrait of Dr. Gachet ( 1890)

How about this one?

Dutch "Post Impressionist" painter in the 19th Century

His work is known for its:

Rough beauty

Emotional honesty

Bold color

His work had far reaching influence on 20th-century art

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

So who was Van Gogh and why is he so famous?

Typically used to describe French art between 1886 - 1914

Impressionist art was characterized by the use of: Vivid colors Thick application of paint Distinctive brush strokes Real life subject matter

Post-impressionist art was inclined to: Emphasize geometric forms, Distort form for expressive effect, Use unnatural or arbitrary color

Georges Seurat(1859–1891)

Paul Cezanne(1839–1906)

Henri Rousseau (1844-1910)

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (available at the Art Institute of Chicago)

What is "post impressionist" art?

Born: March, 30th 1853 in Southern Holland

He was regarded as a quiet child who demonstrated no inclination or talent for artReceived his first instruction

in drawing in middle school

At age 16, he started working at a firm of art dealers, then as a bookstore clerk and then as a missionary to miners in Belgium

Van Gogh's childhood and early life

Becoming an Artist(1883-1886)

Vincent's brother Theo

encouraged him to pursue

art

Van Gogh taught himself

how to draw at home

He tested various different

techniques and styles along

with experimenting with

different subject matters

Many of his early pieces

were dark and serious, in

the style of earlier Dutch

painters--heavy and rich

using a palette of dark

colors

Some of his early work

Most of his work

depicted peasant life,

which could be

attributed to his work

with the miners in

Belgium.

The Potato Eaters (1885)

Move to Paris (1886)

Van Gogh moved to Paris at his brother's suggestion in 1886

In Paris, he came into contact with several neo-impressionist, impressionist and Japanese artists who greatly influenced his style of painting

While at Paris, Van Gogh mostly focused on portraits and still-life paintings

Paris Works (1886-1888)

Influenced by

Monet, Van Gogh

began playing

with colors to

depict natural

light in his work,

such as in “Still

Life with Lemons

on a

Plate”(1887).

Paris Works (1886-1888)

Influenced by

Bernard, he

adopted elements

of ‘pointillism’, as

seen in

“Restaurant de la

Sirene at

Asnieres”(1887).

Paris Works (1886-1888)

Influenced by

Monticelli, Van

Gogh adopted a

brighter palette

and a bolder

colors,

particularly in

paintings such

as his “Seascape

at Saintes-

Maries” (1888).

Paris Works (1886-1888) Influenced by

Japanese Art and

woodblock prints,

Van Gogh

incorporated

distinctive

cropping of

objects in his

compositions, bold

and assertive

outlines, and flat

regions of uniform

color, and uniform

lighting.

Move to Arles (1888) In 1888, tired of the

life in Paris, Van Gogh

left for Arles

He was enchanted by

the local landscape

and the vibrant light

in Arles

He painted local

landscapes using a

gridded "perspective

frame". The patchwork

of fields and avenues

appear flat and lack

perspective, but excel

in their intensity of

color.

Work at Arles (1888) His works from the

period are richly draped in yellow, ultramarine and mauve.

He would sketch different versions before painting to help evoke the particular feeling he wanted.

He also used symbols, such as flowers that represented sun in the "Willows at Sunset”

Work at Yellow House, Arles (1888-1889)

After living in Arles for several months, Vincent van Gogh leased several rooms in a brightly colored house in town, which he called the Yellow House.

It is here that he created some of his most famous paintings like the ones with the “Twelve Sunflowers” and “The Bedroom in Arles”.

Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers (1888)

Vincent created a famous series of sunflowers in vases to decorate his friend and artist Paul Gauguin bedroom in Arles.

He utilized yellow and brown tones to emit the various emotions of sunflowers based on sunlight.

This painting currently resides in the National Gallery, London UK.

Vincent’s Bedroom in Arles (1888)

"Bedroom in Arles" shows Van Gogh’s knowledge of color theory with oranges against blues, and red and greens

He omitted shadows from the picture. The lack of shadows, along with the distorted perspective, makes some of the objects appear to be falling or not steady

This painting resides in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Move to Saint Remy (1889)

Shortly thereafter, due to ill health, Van Gogh was forced into an asylum in nearby Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

It is while here that he created “Starry Night”, that has become one of the most celebrated art masterpieces of all time.

“Irises” was another famous painting from his last years, inspired by the nature surrounding him. The use of black contours in Irises is a typical element of Japanese woodblock prints.

Starry Night (1889)

"Starry Night" depicts his signature style of using visible and swirling brush strokes and intense color choices which might show his mood and state of mind.

The “Starry Night” offers a great example of movement in painting.

This painting resides in the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Some interesting facts about Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890 at the age of 37

Within a 10 year span, he produced around 900 oil and water color paintings, 1100 drawings and sketches 40 self-portraits That's about a painting or sketch every other day!

However, during his entire lifetime he only sold one painting!

The Red Vineyard

Sold for

350-400

francs which

is less than

$100 in

today’s

worth.

Thank you

Review Trivia

What country is Van Gogh from? What country did Van Gogh create most of his

paintings? What are some of the artistic features of a Van Gogh

painting? What varieties of paintings did Van Gogh create?What were the subjects of Van Gogh’s paintings?What is the name of Van Gogh’s most famous painting? Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime -

which one was it? Which flower is most commonly associated with Van

Gogh?

What Next

Activity Description

Read "What Makes a Van Gogh a Van Gogh?" by Richard

Muhlberger, and other great books in the LMC.

Visit The Art Institute of Chicago and look for some of Van Gogh's paintings

Color The Sunflower using water colors. Try different colors to express different feelings

Design Your very own Bedroom. How is it different from Van Gogh's?

Paint Your version of A Starry Night using short brush strokes, bold color and swirls

Draw A View from my Bedroom Window. How can you depict sunlight playing on objects outside?

Solve The Van Gogh word search

Eat at Van Gogh Ear Cafe, Union, NJ, if you are ever in the Jersey state