Dj Reeves- Vincent Van Gogh

Self-portriat

1987

Vincent Willem van Gogh is one of the most famous and most collected artists of all time. He was born March 30, 1853 in the Netherlands.  His work was unique for that time, and later became known as Post-Impressionism.  he has influenced many painters over the years, and will continue to do so in the future.


Van Gogh’s life was full of tragedy, and the death of his father sent him into a deep depression.It surprised me to find out that most of the works we know by Van Gogh were painted in the mental institution, like Starry Night (1889).A good majority of his paintings had the ever-looming presence of death. The black Cypress in the painting is a symbol of death that reaches up into the night.

Starry Night

1889

oil on canvas

I am intrigued by the way he uses the colors and short lines to create flow in his paintings is a unique characteristic and it is one of the main reasons I chose this artist.  I get creative inspiration from these works, because they break from what was considered “traditional”.  The drawings are expressions of his inner thoughts and I aspire to let that come out in my artwork.

Starry Night Over the Rhone

1888

Oil on canvas

Works Cited

Bridgewater, Patrick, and Stefan Koldehoff. Van Gogh and Expressionalism. Ed. Jill Lloyd and Michael Peppiatt. Ostfildern Germany: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2007. Print.

"Vincent Van Gogh." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh>.

"Vincent Willem Van Gogh Biography." Vincent Willem Van Gogh Biography. Totallyhistory.com, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://totallyhistory.com/vincent-willem-van-gogh/>.