Research from 'Simon Schama's Power of Art' [Dvd]
Context: 'things were going well for Van Gogh, just sold first painting, hailed by critics as 'genius of the future' wheat field with crows, painting that begins modern art... within a few weeks he had killed himself....
All his life, had a faith that his work will be seen by everyone.
cut off a chunky flesh of earlobe... (not entire ear)
shot himself...
Vincent thought art could be a revelation of heaven here on earth, a prophet?
Search for salvation
Painting was the way to preach, his new calling
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Read his letters, is this not the context? <--- can use this at the end of essay if there is need for the context argument.
Random thought - By looking at this films portrayal of Van Gogh, bearing in mind I am only 5minutes in, his surroundings are interesting. Today we are consumed technology and I suppose things to do' In his day, I guess painting, art, literature was a favorite pastime and so were developed further in a physical form, unlike todays culture who developed in a computer form (typing / photoshop etc)
Is the word written in 0's and 1's less impactful than on paper? Because it is not a physical form?
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Opposition to Theo, brother, I wonder if this made his work stronger, better, Nietzsche would approve!
Began the colour movement, bright, wonderful paintings
impressionists too decorative...
Vincent is more earthy, murky (very wabi-sabi!) (perhaps work Van Gogh into wabisabi project?)
Paul Gauguin - 'the painter of sunflowers', body face distorted, deranged invalid - envy of Van Gogh
What we're looking at is the inside of Vincents head (looking at the starry night) so painting could be looking through ones mind, much more than a photograph can be? Is the paint then not a representation of the mind? and not the physical form, is my question misleading?
1889 - final self portrait, he described it as a 'studying calm' vortex, of paint... Engulfing, clinical map of physical and clinical distress. the blue waves, less morbid. Trying to recover...
Vincent ate dirt, paint... film makes it appear terrifying, 'desperate for his fix of chrome yellow' 'trying to recover, like someone who is meant to commit suicide, but makes for the bank because he finds the water too cold'
Wheat field with crows - All our signals are assumptions about how to read visual signs, have been wickedly scrambled. Suffocation, Elation. Crows may be flying away or coming towards...
29th July 1890, Van Gogh passes away. Brother Theo died a year later.
he hoped people would feel his work, not just see it, he got what he wanted... 'what am I in the eyes of most people?
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http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/selfportrait.html - SELF PORTRAIT INFORMATION
Vincent painted over 30 self-potraits 1886 - 1889
Introspection - the act of looking within oneself/ observation/examination of ones own mental and emotional state - this is how he used self portraits
“I strongly urge you to study portrait painting, do as many portraits as you can and don't flag. We must win the public over later on by means of the portrait; in my opinion it is the thing of the future.”
"I can't work without a model. I won't say I turn my back on nature ruthlessly in order to turn a study into a picture, arranging the colors, enlarging and simplifying; but in the matter of form I am too afraid of departing from the possible and the true."
"We spend our whole lives in unconscious exercise of the art of expressing our thoughts with the help of words."
Quotes are brilliant things to have....
Simon Johnson
www.thephilosophicalphotographer.co.uk
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