This week I went to the Courtauld Institute to see a small exhibition of self portraits by Van Gogh. The exhibition brought together half of the 35 known self portraits that he painted. All were done in the last four years of his life. I took some photos but am disappointed with the way they turned out and it wasn't until afterwards that I noticed I have a mark on the camera lens! Anyway I know some of my readers like to see a little something of the current art exhibitions in London, so I'll post them anyway.
Eventhough I had seen many of these paintings before I enjoyed seeing them in the same room. It was a very interesting and enjoyable exhibition.
You wonder how he'd feel knowing his art lives on. Such sadness about his life.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful. I would love to see them in person, but your pictures and descriptions is the next best thing. Thank you so much for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen the first portrait before.. it is contrasty, confident and beautifully coloured, unlike the later portraits which were fading. That change might have e been psychological more than painterly of course, but I was always passionate about red heads:)
ReplyDeleteAnd the felt hat looks smart.
DeleteThanks for sharing since I would never get there. They are very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate his art more now than I did perhaps a few years ago. Recently I watched a documentary about his life and it made me realize how much of a great artist he was.
ReplyDeleteOoooo, I've got tickets for this in a couple of weeks time!!! Thanks for the preview!!
ReplyDeleteIt would be wonderful to see them in one place (or at all if you are as culturally deprived as we are here )....lucky you. I have read in blogs and other places on the Interweb" about the Van Gogh immersive experience. That would be interesting but I would rather visit the real thing.
ReplyDeletevan Gogh has always been my favorite painter since i discovered him when I was 13 or 14. I have seen all exhibitions in Brussels, in Paris, and oof course he van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I have visite the house in Mons where he lived as a pastor and painted the people from the poor region "the Borinage" I have seen the "Yellow House" in Arles and was very disappointed that this city had distroyed the building where he lived with Gaughin. One thing I stated ! The colors are far better on the photos then on the originals ! That's normal as his colors were not of very good quality and he mixed them in his mouth ! No wonder he became crazy ! What a life ! Without knowing it when I started painting people told me that I used the same colors and technique then van Gogh ! And I never copied. These colors were just in me and still are !
ReplyDeleteAwesome Van Gogh work ~ great photos and fun for you too! Xo
ReplyDeleteWishing you lots of love and laughter in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A creative Harbor)
I’ve seen them all before, too, but how interesting to see them all together in one place. I hadn’t realized he had painted so many portraits of himself within that one year, 1887. I’m glad you keep me up on the art scene in London!
ReplyDeleteDid the exhibit give any reason why there are so many self portraits? I think I saw some of these in Amsterdam.
ReplyDeleteVan Gogh must have been a troubled person to mutilate himself. Perhaps unusual to paint so many self portraits too when most people find it difficult to look at themselves in the mirror, especially as we get older.
ReplyDeleteI recently read The Yellow House by Martin Gayford, which is an account of the short time when Van Gogh and Gaugin shared a house in Arles. many years ago I was lucky enough to go to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam - although I'd seen many of the pictures in books it was nothing compared to seeing the real thing, so I'm not surprised that your photos fail to capture their glory.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this..wonderful! I toured the hospital where Van Gogh was in Arles, and the location of the Terrace Cafe painting. Both are still there but sadly they tore down the yellow house. I honestly think Gauguin sliced off his ear! Did you hear where a farmer thinks he has discovered the gun that Van Gogh shot himself with? I have just returned from a lecture on Rembrandt. He did at least 100 self portraits. Maybe it is a Dutch thing?
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to see these paintings in person ...
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan