Vincent van Gogh Sketches

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Vincent van Gogh was not only a prolific artist, famous for the nearly 900 exceptional paintings he produced during his short career, but he also wrote over 800 letters to his friends and family. Living away from his family for long periods of time, most of these letters were affectionate correspondence to his younger brother and confidant Theo detailing events in Van Gogh’s life. Of those letters, over 150 contain Van Gogh sketches.

In addition to corresponding with his brother Theo, Van Gogh also exchanged letters with friends and other artists often with a young artist who had impressed him, Emile Bernard. In the candid and informal letters to Bernard, there was clearly a continuing conversation taking place as they traded ideas about technique and color as well as art itself.

Van Gogh to Bernard, 1888:

"My dear old Bernard, I'm quite curious to know what you've been doing lately. I'm still doing landscapes - sketch enclosed. I'd very much like to see Africa as well. But I'm hardly making any firm plans for the future. It'll depend on circumstances. What I should like to know is the effect of a more intense blue in the sky…"

"You can't have blue without yellow or orange, and if you do blue, then do yellow and orange as well, surely. Ah well, you'll tell me that I write you nothing but banalities. Handshake in thought, Ever yours, Vincent"

Within the pages of the lengthy letters are remarkable sketches by van Gogh of works that he was in the process of creating or had recently finished. The sketches allow us to see the progression of Van Gogh’s work as well as his growth as an artist.

Van Gogh’s sketches can show the process he was using with color, and the path he was taking to make his paintings. In that letter to Bernard from 1888 van Gogh includes sketches of six works, of varying genres, from a house, to a seascape, to a still life. In these sketches, all drawn in black ink, Vincent labels where the colors go, and what colors he intends to use. They are included to show his new thoughts on creating art, and to get Bernard’s thoughts.

Van Gogh’s letters show a side of him many don’t know about and give a good perspective of the artist’s life and his connection to his artwork as well as his state of mind. The sketches within his letters are invaluable as they give us glimpses into the process by which Van Gogh arrived at his masterpieces. When discussing ideas about art, Vincent used the sketches to provide examples on ideas about color and composition that he was exploring.

In a letter to Theo from 1882 Van Gogh wrote,
“Where in this little sketch the black is darkest, there in the watercolour are the strongest effects, dark green, brown and grey. Well, adieu, and believe me that sometimes I laugh heartily, because people suspect me of all kinds of malignity and absurdities, of which I do not nourish an inkling. (I who am really nothing but a friend of nature. of study. of work, and of people in particular.)”

When his paintings were finished, van Gogh’s sketches provided a glimpse into the work he was doing for his friends and family. Since it can take months for the paint to dry and it was more expensive to ship a large canvas than a letter, it was quicker and easier to show his work in small sketches. The sketches that van Gogh includes with his letters show the confidence he has in the work he is producing. It shows that Vincent was excited about what he was creating and wanted to show it off.

Letters Sources:
http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/B06.htm

http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/11/221.htm

(http://www.vangoghgallery.com/letters/sketches/)

Vincent van Gogh Flowers

During the ten years that Vincent van Gogh painted, he depicted many different genres; portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. Some of those still lifes were of bottles, chairs, shoes, or famously, flowers. From Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, to his Irises, or his Roses, he brought life and emotion to his work – taking a subject matter that has been painted since the beginning of art and putting his unique perspective on it. Van Gogh painted Vase with Honesty in 1884, and would continue to paint flowers throughout his career. For an artist like van Gogh, who was struggling to sell work and earn a living, money was always an issue. Painting flowers was an inexpensive endeavor, and van Gogh wrote “And now for what regards what I myself have been doing, I have lacked money for paying models, else I had entirely given myself to figure painting but I have made a series of colour studies in painting simply flowers, red poppies, blue corn flowers and myosotys. White and rose roses, yellow chrysanthemums.”

In 1885 van Gogh was painting portraits of peasants and completed his first major work, The Potato Eaters. Having just moved to Paris Vincent was encouraged by his brother to paint brighter, more colorful paintings, and his flower still lifes from this period, in 1886, reflect this. They are still predominantly dark, dominated by earth tones, but the flowers are becoming more vibrant and showing more color. Paintings like Glass with Roses and Vase with Carnations show flowers set against a dark background, only the flowers with any sense of bright color. Roses shine in yellow, carnations bloom bright white, red, and yellow, contrasting against the dark backdrop.

For, Theo, with painting my real career begins. Don't you think I am right to consider it so?”

Some paintings from this period show vases with a few small blooms, while others, like Vase with Gladioli and Lilac and Poppy Flowers show vases overflowing with arrangements. Van Gogh had been studying the still life paintings made famous by master Flemish painters. This period marks a turning point in his artistic career where van Gogh is moving away from the darker paintings he was producing in the Netherlands and becoming interested in the more colorful works of the Impressionists. Van Gogh was developing his masterful use of color theory “seeking oppositions of blue with orange, red and green, yellow and violet.”

The next year saw Vincent painting much brighter paintings. His self-portraits, landscapes, and flower paintings were showing softer tones, lighter backgrounds, and beginning to show his quick brush strokes. Van Gogh’s flowers from 1887, includingVase with Lilacs, Daisies and Anemones, show flowers in a blue vase set against a soft blue and purple background. This was a period where van Gogh consciously was trying to add color to his painting. He wrote “I painted almost nothing but flowers to accustom myself to a colour other than grey, that’s to say pink, soft or bright green, light blue, violet, yellow, orange, fine red.”

When van Gogh was painting in Arles, in the south of France, he was looking forward to his friend Gauguin coming to live and paint with him. In anticipation for his arrival van Gogh painted Sunflowers to decorate the house. Sunflowers became a series with many canvases depicting the same subject matter. Painted in 1888 and 1889, van Gogh’sSunflowers show a yellow vase on a table containing yellow sunflowers in different stages of life. Some are just blooming, some are open and vibrant, and some are withering and dead. Gauguin appreciated the gesture, and displayed some of van Gogh’sSunflower paintings in his bedroom.

After traumatic episodes in Arles, van Gogh went to an asylum in Saint-Remy, France. In the first week he was there Vincent painted the irises in the asylums garden. In Irises, Vincent shows a row of blue irises atop bright green stem and leaves. In the immediate foreground a patch of iris flowers are just visible at the bottom of the picture. The pattern created by the leaves and groups of iris flowers was influenced by Japanese woodcuts that van Gogh was interested in. Vincent painted Irises as a study, but when his brother Theo saw it he thought it was a marvelous painting showing Vincent’s talent for composition and use of color and entered it in the Salon des Indépendants of 1889. Along with Sunflowers, Irises has become one of van Gogh’s most enduring and popular paintings.

At the end of van Gogh’s stay at Saint-Remy he was feeling good about himself and his illness. In the days before Vincent left the asylum he felt that he would not be having and mental upsets easily and wrote “I tell you, as regards work, my mind feels absolutely serene and the brushstrokes come to me and follow each other very logically.” Before he left, in May of 1890, he painted Roses. Van Gogh’s Roses shows a vase full of roses in full bloom, spilling over its edges and falling onto the table. The pink roses are shown contrasting against a green table and yellow green background. Just as Sunflowers has the emotion that van Gogh felt welcoming his friend Gauguin, Roseshas the optimism and hopefulness attached that Vincent felt as he was leaving the asylum. Some of his flower paintings show the stages of life, but not Roses. Here he shows flowers that are thriving and full of life. The green leaves and healthy roses show a rebirth, that we can guess Vincent was feeling as he tried to start his life again. Unfortunately, just a few months later, van Gogh would die. He left behind paintings like this, showing the hope he had, the paint barely dry, as a reminder of the happiness he felt when he was in good health.

(http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/floral.html)

Self-Portraits

Vincent van Gogh painted over 30 self-portraits between the years 1886 and 1889. His collection of self-portraits places him among the most prolific self-portraitists of all time.

Van Gogh used portrait painting as a method of introspection, a method to make money and a method of developing his skills as an artist.

When Van Gogh first began painting he used peasants as models. After this stage, he worked more on experimenting with his use of color in painting landscapes and flowers, primarily because he could not afford to pay models. He explains this in a letter to his sister Wilhelmina van Gogh in 1887,

“Of my own work I think that the picture of peasants eating potatoes I did in Nuenen is après tout the best I've done. But since then I've had no chance of getting models, though on the other hand I did have the chance to study the colour question. And if I should find models again for my figures later, then I would hope to be able to show that I am after something other than little green landscapes or flowers.”

As Van Gogh struggled to make a living as an artist he became reliant on his brother Theo and the charity of others such as Julien "Père" Tanguy, who ran the paint store that Van Gogh frequented in Paris. With their generosity of money and supplies, Van Gogh continued working as an artist and thought of portrait painting as a practical application of his talent. In a letter to his brother Theo in July of 1888 Van Gogh wrote,

“Besides, I think I have spoken the truth, but if I should succeed in replacing in goods the money spent, I should only be doing my duty. And then, something practical I can do is portrait painting.”

Van Gogh did not have money to pay models to pose for portraits nor did he have many people commissioning him to do portraits, so Van Gogh painted his own portrait. Van Gogh did not see portrait painting as merely a means to an end; he also believed that portrait painting would help him develop his skills as an artist. In a letter to his brother Theo dated September 16, 1888, Van Gogh writes about a self-portrait he painted and dedicated to his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin,

“The third picture this week is a portrait of myself, almost colourless, in ashen tones against a background of pale veronese green.

Self Portrait - 1886 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2089/Self-Portrait.html Self Portrait - 1887 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2096/Self-Portrait.html Self Portrait with Straw Hat - 1887 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2104/Self-Portrait-with-Straw-Hat.html                            Self Portrait with Straw Hat - 1887 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2105/Self-Portrait-with-Straw-Hat.html Self Portrait in Front of Easel - 1888 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2111/Self-Portrait-in-Front-of-the-Easel.html  Self Portrait dedicated to Gauguin - 1888 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2113/Self-Portrait-(Dedicated-to-Paul-Gauguin).html Self Portrait - 1889 http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2119/Self-Portrait.html

I purposely bought a mirror good enough to enable me to work from my image in default of a model, because if I can manage to paint the colouring of my own head, which is not to be done without some difficulty, I shall likewise be able to paint the heads of other good souls, men and women.”

In addition to Gauguin, Van Gogh also exchanged self-portraits with artist Émile Bernard. After receiving a letter from Bernard and Gauguin with their self-portraits enclosed, Van Gogh responded to Bernard encouraging portrait painting believing that portraits would always be in demand writing the following to Bernard,

“I strongly urge you to study portrait painting, do as many portraits as you can and don't flag. We must win the public over later on by means of the portrait; in my opinion it is the thing of the future.”

Sources:
Vincent van Gogh. Letter to Wilhelmina van Gogh. Written Summer/fall 1887 in Paris. Translated by Robert Harrison, edited by Robert Harrison, published in The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, 1886 - 1890, Publisher: Scolar Press, 1977, number W01. URL:http://webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/17/W01.htm.

Vincent van Gogh. Letter to Theo van Gogh. Written c. 25 July 1888 in Arles. Translated by Mrs. Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, published in The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh, Publisher: Bulfinch, 1991, number 514. URL:http://webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/514.htm.

Vincent van Gogh. Letter to Theo van Gogh. Written c. 16 September 1888 in Arles. Translated by Mrs. Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, published in The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh, Publisher: Bulfinch, 1991, number 537. URL:http://webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/537.htm.

Vincent van Gogh. Letter to Emile Bernard. Written 7 October 1888 in Arles. Translated by Mrs. Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, edited by Robert Harrison, published in The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh, Publisher: Bulfinch, 1991, number B19. URL:http://webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/B19.htm.

(http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/selfportrait.html)

Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers

A Brief Understanding of the Sunflower Paintings.

There are pieces of artwork drifting through galleries around the world that have become nearly synonymous with the artists name and techniques. The various

paintings of Sunflowers and Vincent van Gogh are a perfect example of this. Not only can one make a mental connection between the artists name and painting but also between the artist and their influence on the development of art through these paintings. Vincent van Gogh's Sunflower paintings have been duplicated many times by various artists (although never reaching the vivacity and intensity of Van Gogh's) and displayed everywhere; from households to art expos.

Upon looking at these paintings one begins to notice aspects that seem to flow from one piece to another. The colors are vibrant and express emotions typically associated with the life of sunflowers: bright yellows of the full bloom to arid browns of wilting and death; all of the stages woven through these polar opposites are presented. Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; the fulfillment of seeing all angles of the spectrum of life and in turn reaching a deeper understanding of how all living things are tied together.

There are many pieces within this series of paintings (each is clearly identifiable as a Van Gogh work) in which there are only minor differences that separate them. The overall layout of the painting along with positioning of the actual sunflowers usually remains the same in the similar paintings. Below you can see highlighted areas of difference between two similar sunflower paintings.

 To the left you can see two sunflower paintings of the series under the same title; however, these two pieces have some minor differences.

• 1. There are differences in petal structure on a few of the flowers. Located in bubble number one you can see how the second piece has more petal "bulk" and does not follow the sweeping "V" motion as is seen in the first piece.
• 2. The center "eye" of the flower contains different colors. In the first example the center is filled with a greenish yellow, while in the second piece the center is filled with black.
• 3. This is also the case for bubble number three. The leafy structure is yellow in the first piece and resides as light brown in the second piece.
• 4. The leaf located in bubble number four is nearly identical in both pieces; however in the first piece it is overlapped by the large drooping flower and is green in color. In the second piece there is a small but clear gap between the drooping flower and the leaf, and the leaf is black in color.

Although Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are very similar in many aspects, each stands out as its own unique work of art. Van Gogh began painting sunflowers after he left Holland for France in pursuit of creating an artistic community. The firsts were created to decorate his friend Paul Gauguin's bedroom. The majority of Van Gogh's sunflowers in vases were created in Arles, France during 1888-1889. Van Gogh did create some sunflower paintings prior to this time though in Paris, France around the time of 1887. This series consists of sunflower clippings verses sunflowers in vases. You can see an example of this series to the right.

According to BBC.co.uk:

"These series of paintings were made possible by the innovations in manufactured pigments in the 19th Century. Without the vibrancy of the new colors, such as chrome yellow, Van Gogh may never have achieved the intensity of Sunflowers."

Regardless, Van Gogh's paintings of sunflowers have altered mankind's perspective of art and life. These paintings captivate the mind and leave you astounded in their simplistic beauty. The flowing wilted steams and the burst of lovely yellow draws ones attention around the painting, without disrupting the balance of the piece. These paintings are often duplicated but never reach the pure power of Van Gogh's.

Feel free to click on any of the sunflower paintings on this page to receive an enlarged view. Below you can look around through various other information we have listed about sunflowers. Or download wallpapers, icons, and other things for you to use.

(http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/sunflowerindex.html)

Vincent van Gogh: Starry Night

A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh has risen to the peak of artistic achievements. Although Van Gogh sold only one painting in his life, the aftermath of his work is enormous. Starry Night is one of the most well known images in modern culture as well as being one of the most replicated and sought after prints. From Don McLean's song 'Vincent' (Starry, Starry Night) (Based on the Painting), to the endless number of merchandise products sporting this image, it is nearly impossible to shy away from this amazing painting.

One may begin to ask what features within the painting are responsible for its ever growing popularity. There are actually several main aspects that intrigue those

who view this image, and each factor affects each individual differently. The aspects will be described below:

• 1. There is the night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their own luminescence, and a bright crescent moon. Although the features are exaggerated, this is a scene we can all relate to, and also one that most individuals feel comfortable and at ease with. This sky keeps the viewer's eyes moving about the painting, following the curves and creating a visual dot to dot with the stars. This movement keeps the onlooker involved in the painting while the other factors take hold.
• 2. Below the rolling hills of the horizon lies a small town. There is a peaceful essence flowing from the structures. Perhaps the cool dark colors and the fiery windows spark memories of our own warm childhood years filled with imagination of what exists in the night and dark starry skies. The center point of the town is the tall steeple of the church, reigning largely over the smaller buildings. This steeple casts down a sense of stability onto the town, and also creates a sense of size and seclusion.
• 3. To the left of the painting there is a massive dark structure that develops an even greater sense of size and isolation. This structure is magnificent when compared to the scale of other objects in the painting. The curving lines mirror that of the sky and create the sensation of depth in the painting. This structure also allows the viewer to interpret what it is. From a mountain to a leafy bush, the analysis of this formation is wide and full of variety.

Van Gogh painted Starry Night while in an Asylum at Saint-Remy in 1889.

During Van Gogh's younger years (1876-1880) he wanted to dedicate his life to evangelization of those in poverty. Many believe that this religious endeavor may be reflected in the eleven stars of the painting. In Genesis 37:9 the following statement is made:

"And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me."

Whether or not this religious inspiration is true, it is known that the piece is not the only Starry Sky painting that Van Gogh ever created. Gogh was quite proud of a piece he had painted earlier in Arles in 1888 that depicted stars reflecting in the Rhone River. Like Starry Sky this previous piece shares many of the qualities that have made Starry Sky such a popular painting. For instance:

• The stars in the night sky are surrounded with their own orb of light.
• The Reflection of artificial light (new to the time period) from Arles in the river makes the one's eyes move around the painting; thus keeping the viewer visually involved.
• There are structures in the distant lit up in a warm glow of light.

Starry Night over the Rhone contains one final aspect that is not featured in the Starry Night piece; humans. In the bottom right corner of the painting there is a couple walking along the river. This gives the painting a down to earth feel with a natural quality. Although this painting is not nearly as popular as the seconded Starry Night piece, it still creates a pleasurable and life like environment to look at. It is also resides as a very sought after piece when it is placed with Starry Night and the following painting to create a montage of Van Gogh's Starry Night works.

Cafe Terrace At Night was also painted in Arles in 1888. The similarities between this piece the previous two are vaguely similar. This piece offers a new type of perspective on the star filled sky.

• The Stars are barely consumed in their own light.
• The bright yellow wall draws in ones attention rather then assisting to move one's eyes around the painting.
• There is a sense of balance attributed to the dark cityscape silhouette to the right of the painting (Contrasting the bright yellow wall).

Never the less these three paintings have astounded millions of people and remain three of the best works ever to flow from Van Gogh's paint brush. Each Day hundreds of people crowd around the original paintings located in various art museums to offer their own personal interpretation as to the meaning of the pieces. Although we may never know how Vincent himself truly felt about these paintings, mankind still embraces their greatness.

Feel free to click on any of the paintings on this page to receive an enlarged view. Below you can look around through various other information we have listed about the Starry Night pieces. Or download wallpapers, icons, and other things for you to use.

(http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starryindex.html)

Vincent van Gogh's paintings

 Between November of 1881 and July of 1890, Vincent van Gogh painted almost 900 paintings. Since his death, he has become one of the most famous painters in the world. Van Gogh’s paintings have captured the minds and

hearts of millions of art lovers and have made art lovers of those new to world of art. The following excerpts are from letters that Van Gogh wrote expressing how he evolved as a painter. There are also links to pages describing some of Vincent van Gogh's most famous paintings,Starry Night, Sunflowers, Irises, Poppies,The Bedroom, Blossoming Almond Tree,The Mulberry Tree, The Night Café, andThe Potato Eaters, in great detail.

In December of 1881, at the age of 28 just as he began his first paintings Vincent wrote to his brother Theo about becoming a painter,

“Theo, I am so very happy with my paintbox, and I think my getting it now, after having drawn almost exclusively for at least a year, better than if I had started with it immediately…

For, Theo, with painting my real career begins. Don't you think I am right to consider it so?”

Van Gogh worked at a feverish pace costing him money, causing him mental and physical stress and leaving him no time for any other source of income. But he was persistent. In a letter from March of 1882, Van Gogh wrote again to his brother Theo,

“Although I find myself in financial difficulties, I nevertheless have the feeling that there is nothing more solid than a `handicraft' in the literal sense of working with one's hands. If you became a painter, one of the things that would surprise you is that painting and everything connected with it is quite hard work in physical terms. Leaving aside the mental exertion, the hard thought, it demands considerable physical effort, and that day after day.”

In the same letter to Theo from 1882, Van Gogh writes, “There are two ways of thinking about painting, how not to do it and how to do it: how to do it - with much drawing and little colour; how not to do it - with much colour and little drawing.

Van Gogh firmly believed that to be a great painter you had to first master drawing before adding color. Over the years Van Gogh clearly mastered drawing and began to use more color. In time, one of the most recognizable aspects of Van Gogh’s paintings became his bold use of color. This is evident in both Van Gogh's landscapes and his still life paintings

About a year before his death Van Gogh predicted that there would be a great “painter of the future” who would know how to use color like no one else and would become the future of painting. He expressed this in a letter to his brother Theo in May of 1888,

“As for me, I shall go on working, and here and there something of my work will prove of lasting value - but who will there be to achieve for figure painting what Claude Monet has achieved for landscape? However, you must feel, as I do, that someone like that is on the way - Rodin? - he does not use colour - it won't be him. But the painter of the future will be a colourist the like of which has never yet been seen.

But I'm sure I am right to think that it will come in a later generation, and it is up to us to do all we can to encourage it, without question or complaint.”

During his lifetime Van Gogh was never famous as a painter and struggled to make a living as an artist. Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime The Red Vineyard. This painting sold in Brussels for 400 Francs only a few months before his death.

Vincent van Gogh died at the age of 37 bringing his career as a painter to an end, but beginning his legacy as the great painter of the future who inspired the world.

About a week after his death, Van Gogh’s brother Theo wrote to his sister Elizabeth about Van Gogh’s legacy as a great artist,

“In the last letter which he wrote me and which dates from some four days before his death, it says, “I try to do as well as certain painters whom I have greatly loved and admired.” People should realize that he was a great artist, something which often coincides with being a great human being. In the course of time this will surely be acknowledged, and many will regret his early death.”

Vincent van Gogh died at the age of 37 bringing his career as a painter to an end, but beginning his legacy as the great painter of the future who inspired the world. Today it remains a mystery as to what Van Gogh’s last painting was before his death. Find out more about which paintings among his final works are considered to be perhaps Vincent van Gogh’s last painting.(http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starryindex.html)