Vincent Van Gogh

Loving Vincent

Aditi Raychoudhury. Copy of Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. 1984? 1985?. Raurkela, Orissa. Gouache on Paper.
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More than a hundred and sixty years ago, in this month, a man was born in the Dutch village of Groot-Zundert that may be best-known for being this man’s hometown.

This man was Vincent Van Gogh – the subject of continuing fascination for lovers and non-lovers of art, writers, movie-makers and movie-goers.. even scientists!

A tableau of flowers representing the face of famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is revealed at Museumplein, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
A tableau of flowers representing the face of famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is revealed at Museumplein, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 2015.
Irving Stone. Dear Theo. Signet Publishers. 1969.
Mandy Ager. Dear Vincent. RHNZ Children’s ebooks. 2013.

 

 

The Eyes of Van Gogh by Alexander Barnett. 2005

 

Vincent and Theo by Robert Altman. 1990.

 

The unexpected math behind Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” by Natalya St. Clair and Avi Ofer. 2014

 

Aditi Raychoudhury. Copy of Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. 1984? 1985?. Raurkela, Orissa. Gouache on Paper.
Aditi Raychoudhury. Copy of Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. 1984? 1985?. Raurkela, Orissa. Gouache on Paper.
Study for "Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)". Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18" x 24".
Aditi Raychoudhury. Study for “Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)”. Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18″ x 24″.

A new animated movie, Loving Vincent, offers a fresh recreation of his life by painstakingly weaving oil paintings inspired by his work into an animated movie. This is the first fully painted feature film in the world, directed by Polish painter and director Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman (Oscar winner for producing “Peter and the Wolf”). The film is produced by Oscar-winning Studios Breakthru Films and Trademark Films.

Looks amazing, doesn’t it? I can’t wait to see it.

 

125 years later, Van Gogh Still Fascinates Us

A tableau of flowers representing the face of famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is revealed at Museumplein, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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A tableau of flowers representing the face of famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is revealed at Museumplein, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

“July 29, 2015, is the 125th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s death. This past spring I fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams by taking a trip to Europe to follow in Van Gogh’s footsteps. As a teenager I checked out every library book about Van Gogh, and eventually read the unabridged three-volume set of letters he wrote to his brother, Theo. With so much time having passed, I was eager to see if anything from Van Gogh’s time had survived. Could I stand where he did and still make out the fields he painted, or would I be standing in the center of an unrecognizable suburb or, worse, inside a shopping mall?”

Sounds familiar. Look at what Alex Roediger found. I was pleasantly surprised.

Other posts on Vincent Van Gogh

Happy Birthday Vincent Van Gogh!

Aditi Raychoudhury. Copy of Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. 1984? 1985?. Raurkela, Orissa. Gouache on Paper.
| aditi raychoudhury
Vincent Van Gogh. Starry Night. 1889. Saint-Remy, Provence, France. Oil on Canvas.
Vincent Van Gogh. Starry Night. 1889. Saint-Remy, Provence, France. Oil on Canvas.

Those who have known me since my teenage years, know what a HUGE influence he was on me starting to paint.

As I continue to be fascinated by physics, staring at nature and reducing it to basic geometric patterns, “movement, fluid and light” in my mind’s eye, it turns out that even bona fide physicists and mathematicians are fascinated with Starry Nights, as well as his other works. Supposedly, his paintings come close to a mathematically accurate depiction of turbulence, a phenomenon that physicists and mathematicians are still struggling to define, as explained in this fascinating video.

I wish he had lived long enough to see that his brilliance was recognized, and the huge influence he had on artists (and scientists!) for generations to come.

Here is a copy of his portrait I had made as a teenager. Unfortunately, I don’t have the original painting. Like many others, this, too, was misplaced during my many moves.

Aditi Raychoudhury. Copy of Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. 1984? 1985?. Raurkela, Orissa. Gouache on Paper.
Aditi Raychoudhury. Copy of Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. 1984? 1985?. Raurkela, Orissa. Gouache on Paper.

 

An homage to Vincent Van Gogh.

Study For "Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)". 2008. Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18" x 24".
Aditi Raychoudhury. Study For “Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)”. 2008. Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18″ x 24″.

 

Fascinating 10 things you may not have known about this great man.

Study for “Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)”

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Detail: Study For "Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)". 2008. Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18" x 24".
Detail: Study For “Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)”. 2008. Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18″ x 24″.
Detail: Study For "Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)". 2008. Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18" x 24".
Detail: Study For “Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (with Candles)”. 2008. Chalk Pastels and Charcoal on Newsprint. 18″ x 24″.

The Secret Life of Vincent Van Gogh

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I adored him all my life. But that ends right here! Turns out that it was all an act. Here’s what really happened!

And don’t forget to check out “his favorite things” to do on a rainy day.

Hmmphhffff.

The Yellow House: by Martin Gayford

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The Yellow House, By Martin Gayford, [Little Brown and Company, 2006]

The Yellow House [Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles], as the name suggests, is an account of the time that Paul Gauguin joins Vincent Van Gogh, in Arles, where they exchange ideas on art and paint together. This relationship was as nurturing as it was turbulent, and led to the most creative, and prolific period of their lives. Continue reading →

Vincent and Theo

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Robert Altman. Vincent and Theo. Movie. 1990.

“Vincent and Theo (1990)“, is a “must-watch“, even for those who may not care about Van Gogh’s art. Robert Altman, brilliantly pulls together the turbulent, tender, and unbreakable love story between Vincent, and his brother, Theo, without whose financial and emotional support, the world would have never experienced Vincent’s art. Continue reading →

Its Never Too Late!

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I recently watched some movies on Vincent Van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin – artists who started painting relatively late in their lives. Neither of them were formally trained as painters. Yet, their brilliance shines through even in their earliest works (shown here).

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Portrait of Aline (His Beloved Daughter), Watercolor on Paper.( Paul Gaugin, 1879)

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Sorrow (Portrait of a Pregnant, Abandoned, Prostitute Van Gogh Had Loved), Lithograph. (Vincent Van Gogh, 1882)

It made me think that if one has faith (and talent), one is never too old to start anything – Well, I take that back. 30+ may be too late to start dreaming about becoming a prima ballerina, or an Olympian gymnast, or pursue some other physically brutal career!

Those who have been dreaming, of starting that little boutique, or changing careers – jump ship, NOW – even if the water may seem too icy, and the winds be too strong…. At least, that’s how I console myself – in my unemployed present, and an uncertain future.

Smells Fishy

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Vincent Van Gogh. Bloaters on a Piece of Yellow Paper. Oil on Canvas. (1889)

Fish, and seafood are my non-vegetarian sources of protein. I love shrimp. Initially, I cut my consumption, to manage cholesterol, but more, after reading about the environmental damage caused by farmed-shrimp. Recently, a well-wisher was thrilled to find shrimp from India at the local store. (S)He bought some for me. I ought to be happy for a taste from India, but I was not. Why should we care? This is why, Mr/s. Happy-Shrimp-From-India?!

There are more than three good reasons. I have listed four! Continue reading →