Van Gogh is an artist who suffered from extreme poverty during his life time. Though he had no money to buy paint, he never gave up his zest for the arts and hope. “Painters speak to a following generation or to several following generations through their works after he is dead and buried,” he said in his time even though he was all worn out of poverty. As he said, his paintings are now all over the world in immortal life. CP reporter visited Hangaram Gallery and felt the breath of Vincent Van Gogh. After visiting the galley, CP reporter thought previous knowledge is needed to appreciate his pieces, so CP reporter decided to introduce some information about Gogh to you.
The Life of Vincent van Gogh
Following the advice of his brother Theo, Van Gogh decided to draw professionally. His earlier experiences as an evangelist gradually influenced his passion for paintings. Theo, who worked at the Paris gallery, took care of Vincent financially. It was because of Theo's loyal support that Vincent could keep drawing. Soon thereafter, he moved to several cities across the Europe. Those cities included Nuenen, Paris, ArlesSaint-Remy, and Auvers. His brushwork and painting techniques changed along with his lifelong journey. Though he was heavily influenced by a variety of Art like the Rubens' palette, Japanese prints, and Arlesian landscap during his life time, but his brushwork was significantly affected by the city lot Paris.
In early 1886, Van Gogh went to live with his brother in Paris. There he was introduced to modern art and the recent work of the impressionists and post impressionists. He discovered his dark palette was out-of-date. To brighten up the color, he began to paint flowers. He also began to experiment with impressionist and post impressionist techniques and studied the prints of the Japanese masters. During the two years in Paris, Van Gogh developed his own personal style.
During this time, he continually suffered from a severe form of epilepsy and experienced several delusions and psychotic attacks. Later in life, he continued his long and hard fight against mental illness and produced many drawings: but he was severely exhausted. On July 27, 1890, he shot himself in the chest and died. Theo, who had stored the bulk of Vincent's work in Paris, died six months later. With the dedication of Theo’s widow who wanted to get her brother-in-law the recognition, Van Gogh's oeuvre became very popular and admired by people all over the world.
Spiritual Letters of the Two Brothers
A lengthy correspondence between the two brothers continued until the last days of Vincent's life. Over 800 letters were written by Vincent Van Gogh and Theo. Vincent’s letters were always filled with self-analysis about his mental state and his feelings. Furthermore, they contained a lot of useful information; like the process making a piece. His letters are clues into his personality and attitude. They help us understand his career. Therefore, the letters between the two brothers are necessary elements of his works. Examine excerpts of his letters below:
"Try to understand the last word of what the great artists, the serious masters, say in their masterpieces; there will be God in it. Someone has written or said it in a book, someone in a painting." He wrote this in a letter to Theo in June of 1880. It demonstrates his belief that Art encourages ethical maturity – it is not about the pursuit of external beauty.
"Mementos in the form of drawings or paintings -not made to please any particular movement, but to express a sincere human feeling." He wrote this one summer day in 1883. It shows he always believed his calling was to express conscience solidarity with lower social status and his love toward God and human beings, alike.
We can see he loved to draw peasants, miners and everyday life through the drawings he left. He said, "I still have resources for that eventuality, because I would either go into the business or I would write, but as long as I’m in painting I see nothing but the association of several people, and common life."
"So I studied the books I had to hand rather seriously, such as the Bible and Michelet’s La revolution Francaise and then last winter, Shakespeare and a little V. Hugo and Dickens and Beecher Stowe, and then recently Aeschylus and then several others less classic authors, several good minor masters." He was also gifted in literature. Actually, he used to tell his brother Theo about books he was reading and sometimes recommended books to Theo. He thought profoundly through the classical literature and he expressed this in his drawings again.
Japonisme influenced on his arts
Pere Tanguy
The term “Japonisme” was developed in 19th century France to describe the craze for Japanese culture and art. After the treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, huge numbers of Japanese artifacts and handicraft articles flowed into Europe: mainly to France and the Netherlands. All things Japanese became stylish and fashionable. Many shops sold Japanese merchandise, and Impressionist and Post-Impressionists painters like Claude Monet ,Edgar Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Gauguin were attracted to Japanese woodblock prints. Like so many others, Van Gogh was also admirer of Japanese, and the Japanese influence is obvious in his work.
From his initial contact with Japanese prints in 1885, he begun to collect them- which were relatively easy to do because they were inexpensive. Even after he moved to Paris, he continued to collect Japanese prints. His brother, who ran an art gallery in Montmartre Theo, managed to service Japanese ukiyo-e for Vincent as well. There was also a gallery with Japanese prints next to van Gogh's apartment. Vincent spent days in the shop and became an avid collector of ukiyo-e. Japanese prints sometimes appear in his paintings. In <P'ere Tanguy>, one of his master pieces, he used a Japanese print as the background. We can witness the influence of Japonisme in the color he used. In Arles, he used yellows and violets in his representation of the haystack and house theme. These were the primary colors of Japanese print.
Two Themes of the Gallery
An Artist Who Loved Everything
In a letter to his brother, Theo, Van Gogh writes, “I’m always inclined to believe the best way to know God is to love a great deal. Love that friend, that person, that thing, whatever you like, and you’ll be on the right path” He tried to love everything. He observed what he loved – and drew those things in a spirit of truth. He believed an “artist” was an earnest seeker of profound truths. Perhaps this is the reason his paintings are so beautiful and his life and ideology are so timeless.
Tips for people who care to visit the exhibition
The gallery has heavy traffic during the weekend - so, plan your visit mid-week two hours before closing. For more information during your visit, there is audio equipment available or you may choose a docent tour.
* Exhibition : Van Gogh in Paris
* Location : Hangaram gallery, 700 Seocho-dong, Seochogu, Seoul
* Docent Tour Schedule : During the week - 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
* During the weekend - 11 a.m., 7 p.m
By Kim Su-ji CP Reporter
ex112358@cnu.ac.kr