Van Gogh The Expressionist Essay - 1609 Words

quot;What lives in art and is eternally living, is first of all the painter, and then the painting.quot; - Vincent Van Gogh Expressionism is an art form in which the very style itself and the symbols that the artist uses are meant to express his innermost feelings on the subject. Vincent van Gogh has often been hailed as the quintessential expressionist painter. His artwork covers a range of moods over the years, and his canvases are almost mirrors into his troubled soul. Vincent van Gogh lived a troubled life. He once described his childhood as quot; cold, gloomy and sterile.quot; He alienated himself from his parents and siblings by being a stubborn and reclusive child. He was clumsy, uncommunicative, and lived an early life of†¦show more content†¦His scenes are dark and hopeless, with few random splashes of light. This combination of personal shortcomings led to van Gogh’s stints with being an assistant teacher and a bookseller. He failed miserably in both cases. His parents, frustrated with supporting their quot;failurequot; of a son, begged him to become a minister. He entered into Theology, but soon realized that he lacked the ability to learn the math and foreign languages necessary. Nonetheless, he did eventually enter an evangelical school, and went on to become a local priest in Brussels. Van Gogh drew new inspiration from working with the poor peasant class in Brussels. While he found it extremely difficult to communicate his religious viewpoints to them, he was a saint in other ways. He was known to give away his own sparse clothing and money to help them. He became fascinated by their plight, but somehow, living with them began to draw him down to their level. Their harsh living conditions and suffering made him lose faith in religion. In effect, ironically, his congregation converted him! At this point in time, he became fascinated by their charcoal drawings and by scenes of everyday life in utter poverty. One of his most acclaimed paintings from this period is quot;The Potato Eaters.quot; This depicts a set of elderly people during the Great Potato Famine in Ireland. The colours are dark and dreary greys, blues, greens and browns, and they are sharing a sparse meal of potatoes and broth. One canShow MoreRelatedWhy Van Goghs Starry Night Is Expressionist898 Words   |  4 Pagesfeelings, instead of a realistic portrayal of an object. Expressionists tried to depict their subjective emotions and their general responses to objects and events, instead of depicting an objective reality. The artist accomplished these themes in their paintings through distortion, overstatement, primitivism, and imagination. Their paintings often showed flamboyant, jarring, violent, or forceful appliance of formal elements. Expressionist paintings became very popular through the later 19th andRead MoreExpressionism Of Vincent Van Goghs The Starrry Night1505 Words   |  7 Pagesartist Vincent Van Gogh, remains engrained in the minds of many, as an expression of his tempestuous state of mind. Painted in June of 1899, the painting represents the symbolic, and highly personal meanings that proved to be particularly important to Post-Impressionist artists. This deeply distinctive, emotionally evocative style has continued to influence artists residing within twent ieth century and up to the present day, promising Van Goghs prominence in the near future. Van Gogh’s expressionismRead More The Life of Vincent Van Gogh Essay716 Words   |  3 Pagesof Vincent Van Gogh Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most famous artists of all time. He is known for his paintings and is hailed as the quintessential expressionist painter in history. Yet, Van Gogh lived one of the most troubling lives one could ever imagine. Almost every painting can be viewed as a look into his troubled soul. Van Gogh’s Paintings today can be sold for millions of dollars, but during his life time he sold a single painting for a measly 40 francs. Van Gogh’s legacyRead MoreAnalysis Of Starry Night 882 Words   |  4 PagesNight For many, the painting Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh, is simply paint on a canvas. Created in the summer of 1889, while Van Gogh was in a mental asylum, others perceive the painting as a message of Van Gogh’s desire for acceptance and normalcy. Heavily influenced by the Expressionist movement, Starry Night is a physical representation of Van Gogh’s feelings of melencholy during his stay in the asylum. His troubled mind allowed Van Gogh to create a painting with a yearning mood. ThroughoutRead MoreStarry Night Over Impression : Sunrise By Vincent Van Gogh921 Words   |  4 Pagesas they themselves feel them to be. This was written by Vincent van Gogh in one of his letters (Theartstory.org). For me art is all about how it makes me feel and how the artist feels about their subject, so I personally agree with Mr. van Gogh. During the time of early modernism, art was making a shift from the traditional principles of realism. Two modernist paintings that I find to b e exquisite are Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh and Impression: Sunrise by Claude Monet. Though I find both paintingsRead MoreThe Works Of Jozef Israels ( 1824-1911 ) And Vincent Van Gogh847 Words   |  4 PagesThe relationship between Impressionism and Expressionism can be considered by examining the works of Jozef Israels (1824-1911) and Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). These coexisting and overlapping artist’s lives and compositions, display the evolution and transition of artistic styles in the second half of the nineteenth century. The impressionist movement began in the 1870’s by a group of artists rejected and harshly criticized by the established art world and its critics in authority, particularlyRead MoreThe Starry Night By Vincent Van Gogh955 Words   |  4 PagesVincent van Gogh Post-Impressionists left behind the Impressionist doctrine of truth to nature. Rather, they chose â€Å"in favor of restless feeling and intense color, as in this highly charged picture, van Gogh made his work a touchstone for all subsequent Expressionist painting† (WikiArt, 2016). Vincent Van Gogh’s, The Starry Night, is Post-Impressionism oil painting on canvas. He created it in 1889, during the time he was committed to the mental asylum in Saint-Rà ©my, France. The Starry NightRead MoreVincent Van Gogh And Paul Gauguin Analysis1261 Words   |  6 Pagesinfluential painters from this movement were Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, both of whom aimed to connect with viewers on a deeper level by accessing Nature’s mystery and meaning beyond the superficial, observable level. Close examination of Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait (Dedicated to Paul Gauguin) and Paul Gauguin’s Self-Portrait with Portrait of Émile Bernard (Les misà ©rables) reveals two contrasting and unique styles on display. Van Gogh based his paintings on the Natural and observable worldRead More Vincent Van Gogh Essay1593 Words   |  7 Pages Most casual art lovers see Van Gogh as a troubled but successful artist. This is far from the actual truth of his chaotic life which was filled with failure in every occupational pursuit he attempted including painting, and was marked by episodes of depression, violence, and abnormal behavior. Thanks to the preservation of thousands of letters Van Gogh had written to friends and family, especially to his brother Theo, we have a nearly complete understanding of his feelings, experiments, andRead MoreVincent Van Gogh and His Contribution to Art.1100 Words   |  5 PagesVincent Van Gogh influenced the modern world. And even though he lived more than a hundred and fifteen years ago, his work is still altering the way we view beauty, persona and individuality. Vincent Van Gogh is considered to be one of the most prolific Dutch painters of all time. He only lived to be thirty seven years and was little appreciated during his lifetime. He grew famous some years after his death. He started painting in his late twenties and one of the most unusual facts about Van Gogh is