Be Grateful: Van Gogh’s pain and suffering are in all of us.
The struggle was real. You can feel it in his work.
I am no art critic and have zero knowledge about painting. All I know is that great art makes you feel something special. Walking through the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, you get a sense of who he was. You feel his emotion in his work. You sense his anguish in every brushstroke.
When I visited the Van Gogh Museum, I knew of Vincent’s art, but not so much about the man. I was impressed by how the museum paid so much attention to the man himself. You get a real sense of what his life was like. How he yearned for acceptance from the art world, but would not find it until after his death. How he waged a constant battle within himself, to be who he wanted and paint what he wanted, yet experience no real success.
The museum itself is a wonderful, modern building in museum square. There are 4 museums around the park, most notably the historic Rijks Museum, another ‘must visit,’ with it’s collection of Rembrandts and Vermeers.
(Please note: Some painting dates and details were found at the museum’s excellent website, www.vangoghmuseum.nl)
The inside walls are a greyish beige, I assume to make the colors in the artwork stand out. The artwork is nicely spaced, to allow proper viewing without looking around, through or over a crowd. There is an excellent audio tour to explain many of the artist’s paintings and sketches.
Vincent Van Gogh’s quotes are used to portray the mindset of the artist at that time in his life. His quotes range from sad and brooding, to uplifting and hopeful. He was a dreamer, yet aware of the reality in which he lived. His quotes are as expressive as his paintings.
From 1880, at the beginning of his artistic career: “I felt myself revive, and said to myself, in spite of everything, I shall rise again. I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing. From that moment, everything has seemed transformed for me.”
A new beginning. We have all been there, in one way or another. We have all felt the excitement and hope of a big change in our lives. A renewal of the spirit, an awakening of the soul.
Vincent always kept close correspondence with his younger brother Theo, an art dealer. Thankfully, Theo kept those letters. They reveal the turmoil in Van Gogh’s mind. His love of nature. His love of people. His wish to be known and his art appreciated. His quotes let us understand who he really was.
“The way to know life is to love many things.”
From 1889, referring to one of his greatest works, ‘Starry Night’: “I often find the night is more alive and richly coloured than the day”
“I dream of a painting, and I paint my dream.”
“I wish they would only take me as I am.”
Who has not had that thought? We all long for acceptance. We all are who we are, and wish that was good enough.
‘The Potato Eaters’, 1885, was supposed to be Vincent’s first great painting, the painting that would make Van Gogh known to the Parisian art world. Van Gogh spent months reworking his original drawings.
If taken in that context, the painting was a failure. Too dark and brooding at a time when artists such as Monet were using bright colors in their work, and painting happy scenes of couples walking in parks. Vincent’s best was not good enough. That hurt, as it would hurt any of us.
Looking more closely, we see the brilliance in the facial features, the working class hands, the little details that depict peasant life. The painting is brilliant, and considered Van Gogh’s first masterpiece. But at the time, the painting was not considered very good by the art establishment.
We have all put our heart and soul into a project at some time, and not achieved the desired result. It takes a chunk out of our ego, and can be difficult to get back up and try again.
“As we advance in life, it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties, the inmost strength of the heart is developed.”
We change, too. We evolve. We want to learn. Van Gogh was always experimenting and learning. When in Paris, 1886–1888, he was inspired by the cafes and boulevards, bright colours and the river Seine. After a time, he grew tired of the hectic Paris lifestyle, and moved to Arles, in the south of France.
Van Gogh was restless. He wanted to go back to the small towns and fields where he felt more himself. He needed a change of scenery. His mind was in a strange place, yet, while in the south of France, Van Gogh created some of his best work.
“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”
Vincent tried out and adjusted the styles and techniques of his contemporaries, most notably the impressionist Monet. He found inspiration in Japanese art, and incorporated bold outlines into his work. His brushstrokes become shorter. We see his palette lighten considerably from his earlier days. He used thick paint to project an almost 3D image.
His younger brother Theo supported Van Gogh, but begged him to create more ‘commercially acceptable’ paintings that Theo could actually sell. Despite Van Gogh’s efforts, his paintings were simply unsellable in the art market of the day.
During his life, Van Gogh only sold one painting. ‘The Red Vineyard’ sold a few months before his death for 400 francs. (theartnewspaper.com)
Nevertheless, he always believed that he would be considered a good artist one day.
“I can’t change the fact that my paintings don’t sell. But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.”
Well, he sure was right about that. ‘Orchard with Cypresses’ sold for $117 million at auction in 2022, to a private collector. (P Burgess, Masterworks.com)
After reading his quotes and examining his art, I don’t think Vincent would like that. He would love to know that something he created sold for such a price, because it meant that he was recognized as a great artist.
After painting peasants and working people, after living as he lived, I think he would prefer his art to be displayed and enjoyed by the masses. I don’t think he would like his art presented where only wealthy collectors could see it. He would prefer that everybody saw his art, appreciated his art, and found the beauty in his subjects as he had.
“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”
Most of us are fighting similar battles to the ones Vincent Van Gogh fought. We long for appreciation. We long to be loved. We want to be respected for our work. We want our work to matter, regardless of what we do.
When I was there, the Van Gogh museum had an exhibit on the last months before his death. On the top floor was a special exhibit. Suicide and suicide prevention are the themes. A fence had been set up, and on this fence visitors had tied many ribbons of purple or yellow.
Write what you are grateful for and tie it to the fence. My wife had passed away four months prior to my visit. I had my share of melancholy days. I had been through the whole galaxy of emotions. Grief. Pain. Guilt. Anger.
My wife was much better at being grateful than I ever was. So now I am grateful for her. I am grateful for having her by my side for 23 years. I hope I make her proud.
I tied my ribbon to the fence. Tears of gratitude?
A quote for everyday. “I believe that at present we must paint nature’s rich and magnificent aspects. We need good cheer and happiness, hope and love.”
We are all Vincent.
