WHEAT FIELD WITH CROWS

Temperatures in the 60s in February?  Here?  That's insane, yet that's what we're having.  When I look out our patio door, it could be May.  My sun catchers are sparkling in the early morning sun.  Buffy woke up before the sun was up, so she was the lucky recipient of a back rub and tummy rub that put her back to sleep.  She's adjusted herself nicely to our simple daily routine, and she fits in comfortably for us.  Only one problem.....attachment.  

There's not a whole lot newsworthy on my end to share.  We baked a loaf of banana bread yesterday, and it came out of the oven about one inch high.  The bread may look weird, but the taste is fine.  

On to Mr. Van Gogh......    

Wheatfield with Crows - 1890

In this painting, with the menacing clouds, the ominous crows and the dead-end path, he expresses extreme loneliness and defeat.  The wheat fields may represent the rewards of hard work.  He used powerful color combinations here, the blue sky contrasts with the yellow wheat, and the reddish brown of the path is intensified by the green bands of grass.  Once again, he pulls us into the scene by the use of curved bold green lines.   

Vincent loved the wheat fields above Auvers-sur-Oise, the village north of Paris, where he lived the last ten weeks of his life.  The fields were a five-minute walk from the inn where he stayed.

What do the crows symbolize?  Art critics offer varying thoughts, some pointing to Van Gogh's love of crows and their inspirational presence in his life.  Others say they represent a foreboding.  He conveys distance by painting the crows smaller in the background and larger in the foreground.  The birds are simple V and zigzag brush strokes.

The pathway on the far bottom right is cut off by the canvas, leaving the destination  unknown.  There are white rounded circular brush strokes in the sky forming clouds.  His thick brushstrokes create movement, conveying direction.  Notice how he made diagonal and irregular strokes of the wheat, as if the wind is blowing through it.  Van Gogh painted several fields of wheat in his lifetime.

When I started this art study, I intended to spotlight paintings at different stages of Vincent's life, rather than from start to finish.  This way we can better understand why he painted a picture, what he painted in the picture, and how he painted it.  His use of colors changed dramatically from the "Potato Eaters."  This isn't only a journey of art interest, it takes us in to learn about the life of a troubled man and his struggle to keep going. 

Truth be told, all of us can relate to good days and bad days.  How can we not in a world where violence is growing like a foreboding cloud.  How many of us are on anti-anxiety medications?  I can relate to sadness.  There have been times of tragedy in my life where I didn't think I could keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Perhaps that is the reason that Vincent Van Gogh is my absolute favorite artist.  He didn't only paint pretty still lifes and glorious country scenes like some artists did.  Nope, he buckled down and showed his real self to the world.  He was not a pretentious man.  And, that earns my high honors. 🖌