Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings and sketches are easily among the most easily recognized and hugely popular works of art in the world today. His name alone is one of the most broadly recognized names in visual art. You can find images of his works in diverse places ranging from the walls of college dorms to the sides of coffee mugs. Despite his mainstream popularity, Van Gogh’s reputation is held in high esteem within the art world as well. He is most frequently associated with the Post-Impressionist and Expressionist movements and many art critics consider his work to be among the most important of the late nineteenth century.
Much of what we now know about Van Gogh’s life and mind is found in the large catalog of letters to and from and his brother Theo, an art dealer who gave Van Gogh a varied multitude of support throughout his life. Before becoming an artist, Van Gogh gained experience as an art dealer and later, a preacher and missionary. The missionary work in Belgium (in a poverty-stricken mining village called Petit Wasmes) had a profound effect on Van Gogh and he began to record the plight of the villagers through sketches. These sketches became the basis for his early style of artwork, the most popular of which is a painting named The Potato Eaters.
The Potato Eaters is one of Van Gogh’s most well-known works, however, it differs greatly from the later developments in his style which have become to be known as characteristically “Vincent Van Gogh.” He painted The Potato Eaters in April of 1885 and it is considered his first true masterpiece and exhibited his mastery of technical painting. Its tones are dark and murky, typical of much of Van Gogh’s early work. Only painted after numerous studies in composition and portraits, it also displays his desire to portray superiority in the technical aspects of his painting. It is now housed in Amsterdam at the Van Gogh Museum
In 1886, Van Gogh moved to Paris where his style continued to evolve often with the incorporation of some characteristics of French Impressionism and Japanese art, such as his increased use of more vibrant and brightly saturated colors in his painting.
Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous work by far, is one which holds many mysteries for art-lovers today. While prized by mainstream art aficionados for its unique swirling style, bright use of saturated colors and bold brush strokes, Starry Night is also often considered one of Van Gogh’s most psychologically and historically important paintings. The reason behind the great focus arises from the fact that unlike most of Van Gogh’s major works, Starry Night was created during his stay at an asylum in Saint-Rémy rather than outdoors. Many critics believe that these circumstances during the time he painted Starry Night give us a deep insight into the workings of Van Gogh’s mind and methods of creation. For instance, some researchers believe that astronomy and subconscious symbolism exist in the swirling star patterns of the sky within the painting.
Starry Night is now displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City where it has remained part of the permanent collection since 1941, but occasionally travels to be exhibited in other cities as well.
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