A Pair of Van Gogh's Sunfllowers Shown Together in London

Going to be in London?  You lucky dogs.  You'll get an opportunity to see a sight which was last viewed 65 years ago -- when two versions of Vincent Van Gogh's infamous sunflower paintings were hung side by side.  The display will last for three months only until April.  Remember -- admission to The National Gallery is free.  Compare that to the cost of seeing a Van Gogh in an American museum, where charges rom $25 to $35 per person are not uncommon.

One version is owned by the National Gallery in London.  It was bought in 1924 from the Van Gogh family for a whopping 24 million pounds sterling.  The other is owed by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.  They are now displayed in Room 46 of the National Gallery.

There are several versions of Van Gogh's sunflower paintings.  My personal favorite is the one I have actually travelled to see at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Sadly, one version was destroyed during World War II, although photos of it apparently still exist.  Because of their value, the chances of all existing versions being brought together in one museum are next to impossible.  The sunflowers in Philly, for example, is one of the cash cows for that museum and so it could never part with it.

Vincent once wrote that his sunflowers were really self-portraits.  Perhaps he was in a more positive frame of mind when he wrote that.  In his career, Vincent painted sunflowers in all their stages from seeds to dried dead flowers.  When Paul Gauguin painted his portrait of Vincent, he chose one of Vincent painting sunflowers.  Vincent reportedly said of it, "It is a portrait of me, but a portrait of me gone mad."

Painting Focus: Siesta or Noon: Rest from Work (1890)

Although best known for his feverishly colored landscapes, Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890) preferred to paint people. Paying for models was a challenge to the impoverished painter, as he would constantly complain in letters to his only lifelong friend, his brother Theo. One painting featuring not just one but two people is “The Siesta”, a large oil painting based on Jean-Francois Millet’s “La Sieste.”

Van Gogh did not formally name the painting, so it is listed in art books and art websites under different names such as “Noon: Rest From Work” and “Noon Rest.” The painting now resides at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Considered worthless when it was first painted, it is now priceless.

Painting Particulars
In the painting, two peasants nap against a haystack during the hottest part of the day. The woman is lying on her side, her head curved down so her features are completely hidden. The man is lying on his back, his hands behind his head. His hat covers his face. The worker's shoes are off, resting next to a pair of sickles. Because the faces are hidden, the peasants could represent anyone.
"The Siesta" was completed in January 1890, about 11 months before the painter's tragic death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Van Gogh copied the Millet painting because of his lack of money for models while he was a patient at the St. Remy de Provence asylum in France. Van Gogh would produce 142 paintings in this time as he mastered his unique and distinctive style.

Not Exactly a Copy

Van Gogh would copy several of Millet's works while staying at St. Remy. Millet was one of Van Gogh's favorite artists. But instead of slavishly copying Millet stroke for stroke or even color for color, Van Gogh created fresh new works of art.

Millet's original is darker than Van Gogh's. Colors smoothly blend into each other. The brightest spots are within a shaft of light shining down on the napping pair of peasants napping against a hay pile. The livestock grazing in the background are difficult to see. In Van Gogh's work, the entire painting is bathed in the light peculiar to Southern France. The draught animal in the back is bright pinto in color. The sky, the wheat pile, the animal and the peasants are all filled with swirls of color, making them appear made of the same stuff.

Looking at the Desk of Van Gogh's Great-Great Grandnephew

Imagine being named after one of the most famous artists in the  world.  No, really -- imagine it.  You are saddled with a name that you can never live up to in no way, shape or form.

Frightening, isn't it?

This is the everyday dilemma for Vincent Willem Van  Gogh, the great-great grandnephew of the artist (and subject of this blog) Vincent Willem Van Gogh (1853 - 1890).  It was also the dilemma of Great-Great Granduncle Vincent, who was named for his stillborn older brother (who also happened to be born on the same day Vincent was.) 

The current Vincent Willem Van Gogh (pictured above with two other Van Goghs) works on the board for the Van Gogh Museum  in  Amsterdam, founded by the current Vincent's grandfather named (you guessed it) Vincent Willem Van Gogh.  In an interview in July of 2013 when he visited Japan for an art opening featuring 3D works of Van Gogh masterpieces, he said:

“It never fails to touch me when I see how much the work and life of Vincent van Gogh mean to people all over the world."

He also has quite a desk.  He gave a semi-detailed interview to Haute Living.com about the items you can find on them. Take a look at it and the honkin' big Van Gogh art book.  The desk itself (perhaps also named Vincent Willem Van Gogh -- hey, I've seen crazier things in my life) looks like it came from Ikea.

Rarely Seen Van Gogh Painting on Display in Washington

Can you get to Washington, D.C.?  If you can, give yourself a big treat and check out the National Gallery.  In particular, you want to look for a painting that hasn't been seen in public since 1966 -- Vincent Van Gogh's “Green Wheat Fields, Auvers,” (1890.)  The Gallery also has eight other Van Goghs and lots of other visual goodies as well.

Although a calmer, less "busy" work than Van Gogh's best known paintings, this is still a subtly complex and pleasingly bright work.  Although some critics say that it reflected Van Gogh's more calmer state of mind, I have to disagree.  Although the fields of young wheat are happy and lively, the clouds above are not.  They are in the same swirling, turbulent patterns as seen in works like "The Starry Night."

So, where was this painting from 1966? In the home of superrich snob Paul Mellon.  Mellon died in 1980 and his wife in 1999, but his family clung onto the painting since then.  Hung over the fireplace.  The Mellons owned it since 1955 and loaned it to a museum once in 1966.  Before that, it was last shown in 1912 in Cologne, Germany.  The painting will now have a permanent new home where it belongs -- for the public to appreciate.  The chances of the painting being loaned to other museums around the world is possible, but no plans have been announced.

Van Gogh: Artistic Brilliancs Vs Insanity

How many times have you heard of someone being described as having an artistic personality or an artistic temperament? This is often spoken as a backhanded compliment, implying that although a person may be gifted, they are also somehow insane. The artist that most personifies the artistic personality is Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890.)

But what just is the artistic personality? Psychologists describe it as having certain elements of having a contrary nature often at war with itself. For example, they are both introverted and extroverted; intelligent and yet naïve about practical manners like handling money; is both humble and yet extremely proud – even boastful – about their art.  Van Gogh had all of these qualities.

Van Gogh's Mental Illness

There have been many papers, books and magazine articles debating what mental illness Van Gogh had. Today's diagnostic tools and awareness of the different types of mental illness was not available in Van Gogh's time. Back then, mental illness was viewed as character flaws or offshoots from other illnesses such as syphilis. Van Gogh did suffer from syphilis, according to Van Gogh: The Life (Random House; 2011.) He also drank excessively.

Sadly, we do not know exactly what kind of mental illness Van Gogh suffered from. He was definitely mentally ill. His hundreds of surviving letters exhibit unfounded paranoia and grandiose schemes not based on reality. Surviving letters from Van Gogh's family members and acquaintances often complain about how difficult and bizarre he was.

Studies on the Creative Brain

Recent studies have shown that many creative people are mentally ill. One 2010 study showed that dopamine is processed differently in the brains of creative people than non-creative people. This is because the brains of creative people have fewer dopamine receptors, which helps loosen up or eliminate social filters or that inner voice that says "you can't do that."

Although this lack of filtering is great for new and radical thinking, it doesn't make you popular with the neighbors. Van Gogh tried getting art instructions at least twice in his life, but within a month or two had so incensed his teachers that he was kicked out. He also had furious arguments with fellow art students or customers who frequented the art supply shops that Van Gogh used.

In Conclusion

Even if modern medicine and therapy had been available in Van Gogh's day, he still would have been creative. Whether he would have produced the vast number of brilliantly intense works is a matter of debate. Unfortunately, the very qualities that make Van Gogh's work so admirable made him a social outcast, a pauper dependent on his brother's charity and in the eyes of many and absolute failure.

Happy Halloween From Why Van Gogh Matters

Halloween was not celebrated during Vincent Van Gogh's lifetime.  It's more of a modern phenomenon.  However, if it was, I think that he'd really have gotten into it.  His Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette (1886) displays the macabre side of his sense of humor.

Van Gogh might also be amazed by the Halloween costume sported by Damon Lucas (I think that's who this is.  If I'm wrong, feel free to connect me.) Huffington Post proclaimed this costume of Van Gogh with Starry Night-like swirls as "officially wins Halloween."

I almost wish I was a redhead (and a hell of a lot thinner) in order to pull of a somewhat convincing Van Gogh costume.  Check out this one praised by MSN Now for Halloween 2012.

I'd like to put a bandage over one ear, though, to really get into the Van Gogh vibe.  I suppose I could suck on a candy cigarette, too or sip a green liquid out of a bottle labeled ABSINTHE.  Let's see if anyone figures that out.

No matter what you do for Halloween, have a good one!

Painting Focus: Portrait of Patience Escalier (1888)

One of Vincent Van Gogh's best-loved portraits is that of an old gardener named Patience Escalier.  There are at least three versions (one drawing and two paintings) but the image on the left is the best known version.

In the summer of 1888, struggling artist Vincent Van Gogh dreamt of starting an artist’s colony where he lived in Arles, France. He’d managed to persuade one artist, Paul Gauguin, to join him. However, Gauguin had yet to arrive. In order to help entice artists to the area, Van Gogh painted many portraits of the inspiring local people he came across. Because of his poverty and strange ways, it was very difficult for him to get a hold of models...

Please read the rest of my article at Helium.  Thanks!
(Link has now been fixed.)

Other paintings in my Painting Focus series include:

• Pieta (After Delacroix)
• Siesta or Rest at Noon
• Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin