Yesterday's trolley turned into a zippety-doo-dah-day! First, we drove about an hour to attend a presentation and book signing by a guy who wrote a book about the history of small town lockers. This interested the boyfriend, because his parents owned the local locker. As a young boy, he quickly got indoctrinated into all aspects of the business. Then we drove another fifty miles for lunch at a well-known restaurant featuring a noon buffet that both of us rated A+++. Haven't had a meal that good in a restaurant for a long while. The owner stopped by our table several times, and our chats resulted in him sending home with us two pieces of their freshly-baked pies.....cherry and Dutch apple. Now, that's a random act of kindness we won't forget.
Before leaving the restaurant, we took a picture of the fireplace that was situated close to our table. Notice the tall pine trees on the mantle. They are laser- cut out of hand-saw blades. 
Starting today, my Van Gogh morsel will begin with this sunflower and conclude with a 🖌. 
Vincent's painting The Potato Eaters (pictured below) portrays a poor family of five sitting around a table sharing a simple meal of potatoes. He gave the peasants coarse faces and bony working hands. The painting depicts the harsh reality of country life.
Vincent was pleased with the painting. His hope was that it would get him into the markets of Paris. But, instead the painting drew unfavorable criticism because the colors were dark and the people's faces so distorted.
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| The Potato Eaters - 1885 |
The question to ask ourselves is whether the painting was a mistake or a masterpiece.
Today The Potato Eaters is known as Van Gogh's First Masterpiece. It hangs in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and is valued in the millions. The dim overhead lamp dominates the picture by casting shadows, giving the people a sense of being in humble surroundings. They look serious and tired, reflecting the hardships they endure in their daily lives. Vincent sympathized with peasants and considered them noble and important in the development of art.
Look closely at the picture, the woman on the right of the table holding a teapot, pouring tea into cups. Four cups are on the table, and one of the women is holding a teacup in her hand. Enlarge the photo and notice a framed picture on the upper left wall shelf. My guess is it is a family photo. Their possessions were undoubtedly scarce and sacred. With each of Van Gogh's paintings, we will see how his freedom of expression brings life to the painting. We see his personal feelings portrayed on canvas. I personally admire what I see.🖌
It's Super Bowl weekend, and we're going to feast on the boyfriend's famous bbq ribs. Football is not my forte, but I do enjoy any reason to have a mini party. Today we're kicking back and relaxing. Tomorrow we'll be shouting our hurrahs from our living room for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Oh, by the way, 67.8 million Americans are expected to place an estimated $23.1 BILLION in bets on Sunday's Super Bowl. Ya think things are a bit outta whack in our unhinged society?
Yes, with bets like that and the price of seats. I'll wager food prices are up, also.
ReplyDeleteBeing as how I'm just learning the game, I'll be glued to the TV from 6 pm on. My fav team is the Chiefs, much to the chagrin of my Buffalo born and bred son-in-law. We're having tortillas, chips and dips, cheese and crackers. The Mr. doesn't care for any kind of egg but scrambled. I might make 2-3 deviled for me.
Your study of VanGogh's work is very interesting. You mentioned some finer points I might otherwise have missed.
Enjoy the snacks. I'm impressed about your interest in the game. Think that's "super." We'll be cheering for the same team.
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