My latest venture to the DIA brought me to this piece, “Sorrow”, which model was Van Gogh’s so-called girlfriend, Sien Hoornik, who lived with him in Hague along with her son (who wasn’t Van Gogh’s, for the record). Some reports state that Vincent was near-obsessively generous to her, buying her cigars and other fineries andContinue reading “Seeing Sien”
Tag Archives: Van Gogh
Van Gogh Redux
There they are again … and there I am again. 70+ Van Gogh pieces from museums the world ’round are still visiting the DIA, for another two weeks, if you can find a way not to miss it. Butter my butt and call me a biscuit — I do so love it here. Shot onContinue reading “Van Gogh Redux”
The In-Betweens
There is a crack, a crack in everythingThat’s how the light gets in Leonard Cohen As life and health situations twist and turn for an inordinate number of people in my life lately, and we endure the tests and wait for the consults, I’ve been thinking of this Van Gogh painting. I stumbled upon itContinue reading “The In-Betweens”
The Bridge
I recently paid another visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), for their special “Van Gogh in America” exhibition. My more constant readers will not be surprised to hear that I kinda sorta really liked it. What surprised me, however, was that despite being surrounded by 74 incredible works of his — all broughtContinue reading “The Bridge”
It’s Five o’clock Somewhere
Not Van Gogh’s version (although he legit painted a version, called “Terrace of a Cafe at Night” with more light and more stars — because of course he did) but its source: the work of Louis Anquetin, who was part of the Post-Impressionist group. Vincent called them artists of the “petit boulevard”, whereas the mainContinue reading “It’s Five o’clock Somewhere”
The Art of Making Art
I like landscapes very much, but 10 times more these studies of everyday life, sometimes of terrifying truthfulness, [that artists such as] Daumier […] have drawn with such mastery. Vincent van Gogh Posting this one for all my Renaissance Festival, recovering street performer, theater producing and event promoting friends out there — who know allContinue reading “The Art of Making Art”
Masters of Heavy-Handedness
“I paint for thirty years from now,” responded Adolphe Monticelli to critics of his thickly textured brushstrokes and vibrant colors. Of all the various works in the Through Vincent’s Eyes exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art, from Van Gogh’s various inspirations and sources of his unique style, Monticelli’s was the most eerily similar. ManyContinue reading “Masters of Heavy-Handedness”
Count the Roses, Not the Thorns
It’s the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important…People have forgotten this truth, but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose. Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “The Little Prince” It’s time for these beauties. Because it’s been awhile since I’ve continued myContinue reading “Count the Roses, Not the Thorns”
The Wayward Wonders of Wormwood
The drunkenness it gives does not resemble any known drunkenness. It makes you lose your footing right away […] You think you are headed towards infinity, like all great dreamers, and you are only headed towards incoherence. Alfred Delvau Having only tasted absinthe (which has been described as “more of a soft drug than aContinue reading “The Wayward Wonders of Wormwood”
The Doctor and His Companion
Van Gogh was afraid to depict people when he was actively learning the art of drawing (pre-painting). Fortunately, his future self knew better. More on that soon, I promise. But for today – jump forward in time with me, to the only etching he ever made, during the last year of his life. Dr PaulContinue reading “The Doctor and His Companion”
Muttering Retreats 