Guess we've sprung forward, taking an hour leap to nowhere. Humans can change the time on a clock, but they cannot change time itself. Won't blah-blah on about that, cuz I personally don't care to waste my precious time on such silliness.
Let's see. What to say. Our weekend is blissfully quiet. The boyfriend has his afternoon planned with sports on the telly. My agenda is iffy. Sunday is prime procrastination time. Sun is shining, it's 29 degrees out. If I want to get biblical, I can say, "Let's rejoice in the day and be glad!" (Psalm 118:24)
A few blogs back we studied Van Gogh's painting, Gauguin's Chair. Today we study his painting Van Gogh's Chair and the differences between the two. To help us, I'm including a photo of both chairs so we won't have to go back and forth.  |
| Van Gogh's Chair - 1888 |
 |
| Van Gogh Gauguin |
Van Gogh's chair is a simple wooden chair with a woven-rush seat, and Gauguin's chair has a cushioned seat and arm rests. Van Gogh's chair sits on a terra cotta tiled floor, while Gauguin's sits on a carpeted floor. On Vincent's chair is a decorated pipe and a pouch of pipe tobacco. Smoking helped him to relax. On Gauguin's chair are two books and a candle. Gauguin's chair suggests a man's success; whereas, Van Gogh's chair suggests a man's failure. Note that Vincent signed his name on the onion box.
As a way for us to further understand Vincent, these are words that he wrote about himself: "What am I in the eyes of most people--a nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person--somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. All right, then--even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart. That is my ambition, based less on resentment than on love in spite of everything, based more on a feeling of serenity than on passion. Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. I see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest corners. And my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum."
Vincent was known to be "highly emotional, lacking self confidence and struggling with his identity and direction." I cannot help but think how well he would fit into today's society. He was also described as being serious, quiet and thoughtful. Isn't it ironic that today his paintings decorate psychology books showing how his style developed as his illness progressed? Let's ponder that.🖌
No comments:
Post a Comment