YouTube Video: "Simon Schama's The Power of Art: Vincent Van Gogh"

This 2006 documentary is one episode of an eight-part series where historian Simon Schama takes a look at famous painters and how they impacted art and society. There is also a book to accompany this series. This is beautifully shot with some gorgeous footage of where Van Gogh lived. I gets a bit Painted With Words at times, but is well worth the time. This is not a comprehensive documentary of his life (the whole ear thing is barely mentioned) but concentrates on how why he painted as he did.

Although I recommend this program, here are a couple of warnings:

• There's swearing
• Van Gogh is pronounced wrong
• There is a disturbing scene of Vincent eating a tube of yellow paint
• There's Simon Schama himself, who takes a little getting used to. He has a peculiar voice and a very drone-like way of speaking. However, he does have a droll sense of humor and has a great sense of why Van Gogh matters.

Vincent is played by British actor Andy Serkis (yes -- the same guy who did Gollum). I wonder what would happen if a Dutch actor was ever cast for a British documentary on Vincent. However, Serkis uses a lower class British accent, which certainly would have made a direct impact on the BBC audience. He uses a frantic energy and a steady determination which grows on you during the course of the show.

Van Gogh, 4 Other Artists Immortalized in Food in Art Fund Competition

Let me begin by saying that I used to be homeless.  Food was a sacred issue.  To find any was rapture and to waste any was an unforgivable sin.  You could play with your food -- but only if nothing was wasted and everything was eaten before it began to rot.

So forgive me if I cannot get into the food art fad, which got a huge shot of publicity in February when the prestigious Time magazine did a feature on 5 artistic masterpieces recreated with food, including Vincent Van Gogh's Self Portrait with a Bandaged Ear turned into a vertical ploughman's lunch (pictured, left.) The frame is made up of sliced bead and French loaf, the eyes peppercorns, the coat button a pickle slice, the green bits lettuce and the bandage a smear of brie.  Somewhere there are gherkins, pickled onions and yellow cheese.

Another interesting creation was a Rice Crispie Treat splattered with icing to mimic a Jackson Pollack painting. Also there is a recreation of Damien Hurst's Skull which defies explanation, although apparently almonds played a part in it.  See even more on Art Fund's Instagram page, Facebook page or on Twitter using the #ediblemasterpieces.

These creations were done to raise money for the UK non-profit Art Fund as part of the Edible Masterpieces Project, a competition which goes in until 30 June, 2014. This uses all kinds of fundraising events to give money to UK's art galleries and museums so they will not close.  Now that I can sink my teeth into.

Image is from Slate, which got it from Art Fund. I'm not sure if the image is copyrighted. (Sorry!)

YouTube Video: "The Yellow House" (2007) Channel 4 TV Movie

I lived just over five years in England and miss many things about it -- the great radio, the tea, the cheese and the telly.  Channel 4 is the edgier channel and often showed controversial documentaries.  I was living back in America when this one came out.  The Yellow House (2007) is a dramatization of a book by the same name.  It's not the most historically accurate film (according to the books about Vincent I've studied) but that's not the point.  The point was to highlight and contrast the conflicting personalities of Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh.

The film is about one hour and 13 minutes long and has incredibly good background music.  Pour a glass of your favorite wine (or tea, if you don't drink alcohol) and savor.  John Simm plays an excellent Vincent with John Lynch as the obnoxious and thoroughly self-absorbed Paul Gauguin.

Van Gogh -- the Horse

For many years, especially when I was deeply into the model horse hobby, I discovered that Van Gogh is a common name bestowed upon real horses (as well as model horses.)  I admit to once naming a model horse Van Gogh (because one of the ears broke off.)  I've never had a real horse or pony and so I never had the chance to think up a name for a real (as opposed to model) equine.

When I lived in England, there were many thoroughbred race horses named after classical composers or painters.  One horse I actually won some money on was named George Stubbs (an exceedingly appropriate name for that elegant thoroughbred.)  I also remember a racehorse named Van Gogh but I cannot seem to find any information on him.  I did find information on a Miss Van Gogh (2005 bay filly by Vindication and out of Heartwood) and a photo of another horse named Van Gogh on a blog about off-the-track thoroughbreds.

But I did discover a non-thoroughbred named Van Gogh (pictured).  He's a big bay warmblood stud, son of Numero Uno.  Both of his ears are intact, although he needs to wear earmuffs when performing before a crowd.  He's approved as a registered stallion in four breeds (KWPN, Oldenburg, Hanoverian, Italian U.N.I.R.E.).  He lives in Europe but does not need to actually visit the mares he inseminates.  Non-Europeans can buy his frozen semen from Bellingham, Washington for $275 and $375 if you live in Canada.

I can't help but think Vincent would have got a kick over this.  He also seemed to like horses and wrote about his sympathy for cab horses.  In one letter (catalogued as letter #582) to brother Theo, Vincent wrote, "In Paris, one is always suffering, like a cab horse ..."

Vincent also included horses in his art, but rarely.  Since he was so annoyed at Anton Mauve (well known for his horse and livestock paintings) Vincent may have purposefully excluded horses just because Mauve would include them in his works.  If Vincent had horse ears, they'd spend most of the time pinned to the sides of his head.

Often the close-up horses seem somehow bedraggled while ones in the distance pulling carts tend to seem jaunty with their heads, ears and tails up.  For more about the horses in Vincent's art, check out Equinest's The Horses of Van Gogh.  Eventually, I'll get around to writing a more detailed article on Vincent's horses.

What Was Vincent Van Gogh's Middle Name?

Vincent Van Gogh's middle name was NOT Van but Willem.  He was named after three people: 

• his uncle, Vincent Van Gogh, known often in the family correspondence as "Uncle Cent", but I do not know what his particular middle name 
•  his brother Vincent Van Gogh, who would have been Vincent's older brother had the baby survived, but alas, the first Vincent Willem was a stillborn.  He was born and pronounced dead on arrival on 30 March 1852, a year to the day before our Vincent Willem was born.  The gravestone is pictured above.
• his paternal grandfather, Vincent Van Gogh (1780 - 1874) a minister who is thought to have been named after his uncle, a sculptor named (you guessed it ) Vincent Van Gogh (1729 - 1802.) 

The name Willem and the feminine version Willemina pop up frequently in Dutch names, but I have not been able to determine if the Willem part of Van Gogh's name is after any particular relative.

Willem (English equivalent William) is a two-part name. The "Wil" part means "desire" while the "lem" part means "helmet" or other protective  headgear.  So, putting it all together, "Willem" means "desire helmet."  Not a particularly apt name for our lad Vincent.

How Van Gogh Lost Part of His Ear

 

Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is today best known for cutting his ear off to give to a prostitute. The story of Van Gogh’s ear is so popular that novels and a café have been named after it. This story has been perpetuated in popular media such as Irving Stone’s best-selling biographical novel about Van Gogh, Lust for Life (1934).

Unfortunately, there seems to be no evidence beyond these stories that Van Gogh ever cut off his own ear. Van Gogh did injure his ear in December 23, 1888 but did not slice off the entire ear. But just how the ear was injured is still shrouded in mystery. One of Van Gogh's most famous paintings is his "Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear" painted around one month after the injury.

The Paul Gauguin Theory

Many art historians believe that Van Gogh sliced off part of his own ear after a furious argument with fellow impoverished artist, Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh had hoped to start an artist colony in the yellow house in Arles he rented. The only artist who warmed up to this idea was Gauguin and only because he needed a roof over his head.

Gauguin was notorious for his infuriating and intensely selfish behavior. He must have been like a bucket of ice-cold water on Van Gogh's dreams. But despite their differences, Van Gogh still felt some loyalty to Gauguin. Historians Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans argue that Gauguin accidentally sliced off part of Van Gogh's ear with his fencing sword during one of their numerous arguments. Van Gogh then told the police that he cut his own ear in order to protect Gauguin. He may also have been protecting himself, since he may have physically attacked Gauguin, which caused him to reach for his sword in the first place.

The Vincent Van Gogh Theory

Other art historians claim that Van Gogh cut off part of his own ear with a razor not hoping to impress his favorite prostitute but in a strange revenge on Gauguin. Historians tend to agree that the two did argue violently on December 23, 1888. Gauguin decided to leave Van Gogh but a dejected and possibly jealous Van Gogh wanted him to stay.

Van Gogh may have cut off part of his ear so he could blackmail Gauguin into staying. Van Gogh could blame the injury on Gauguin in order to get him arrested. Van Gogh apparently had second thoughts and told everyone he'd injured himself. Whatever the reason, Van Gogh had just over a year to live before dying of a gunshot wound.

 

Myths and Facts About Vincent Van Gogh

Did Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890) sell only one painting in his lifetime? Did he really cut off his own ear as a cheap Christmas present for his girlfriend? And did this tortured genius really commit suicide? Ever since his death in 1890 at the age of 37, his legend has eclipsed his actual life. Here we sort through the myths and the facts about Van Gogh ....


Read my full article at Knoji.com. Please. I need the pennies. Thanks!

"Self Portrait with Straw Hat" (1887) image from Wikimedia Commons