Image courtesy of The Met
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter from the 19th century, who after his death in 1890 became one of the most influential artists known today. The painting that I chose for today is Cypresses (1889) which was painted while Van Gogh was in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, which was a mental hospital that he stayed at for a year. During his stay at Saint-Rémy Van Gogh painted about 150 paintings while his mental health during this time would fluctuate. During his lifetime, he got very little recognition for his works, it wasn't until after his death that people began to appreciate his art and today he has become a household name.
Line
Vincent uses lines to create the movements in the painting. He also uses lines to create the structures in the painting made out of lines from his brushstrokes. He uses a lot of curved lines, I don't notice any hard or sharp lines present.
Texture
The technique Vincent uses has a lot of texture, even though a computer screen it seems as if you could your finger over the painting you could feel the lines of his brushstrokes.
Tone/Color
The contrast of the dark colors in the cypress trees and the lighter background make the trees the focal point of the painting. As for color, one thing I noticed that yellow is a part of each element of the painting. It is a subtle yellow and it's not the main focus of the painting, but it is something worth noting that it is in the sky, the grass, and the trees as well. Yellow is a prominent color within his work, and many of his most well-known paintings feature yellow.
Pattern
An echoing pattern throughout the work is the swirls and curves he is famous for.
Emotions/My thoughts
To me, Cypresses looks peaceful and calming, almost like an idyllic day. I don't have any information as to whether this piece was made during a moment when his mental health was stable and well, but I like to believe so because of how calm the scene looks. I've always been a fan of Vincent's landscapes and how his technique brings so much movement and life to the painting, and I like the color choices he made for this particular painting.
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Hi Jada! I love Van Gogh's work and the patterns incorporated into them, I have a poster of The Starry Night in my house. I agree that this piece has a calm vibe to it as opposed to many of his other famous paintings. I really enjoy his choice of including a moon in the sky despite it appearing to be daylight in the painting.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved the way that Van Gogh's art moved, and you did a great job of explaining that. I agree that it seems as though you could run a finger over the painting and feel all of the textures. The thing I most liked about your blog is that you talked about the state of his mental health. I do not think I have ever thought about his work in that way. We are taught that he was ill and I just assume that went along with his art. I think you pointed out a great observation.
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