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 They say that
genius and insanity is two sides of one and the same medal. Unluckily, this
statement is openly associated with life and work of the great Dutch painter
Vincent Van Gogh. Prior to coming to the path of a painter, Van Gogh had to go
a complicated life path from a stockbroker at the style and trade firm in Hague
to a preacher in Belgium where he protected rights of miners and came to
conflict with church authorities.
And only to
the age of thirty in the year 1880, he seriously gets engaged in painting and
creates a vast series of paintings and sketches made in dark and gloomy tones,
depicting severe life of ordinary people, painfully perceiving their sorrows
and depression.
When living
in Paris between 1886-88, Van Gogh's heart is won by the paintings of
impressionists and at the same time he goes in for distinct picture of Japanese
artwork. At this stage of his life a dark palette of paints gives way to
shining clear and bright shades - blue, golden-yellow and red shades, and his
strokes become freer and more dynamical.
During the next
stage of his creation Van Gogh wants to combine in his paintings sharp and
distinct lines of Japanese engraving and clarity of the impressionist Cezanne
whom he is delighted with. By the way, the latter did not notice an artistic talent
with the great Fleming. And gradually the painter goes away off the impression like
manner in his Paris paintings; and his palette
gets intensified, shapes are easier, the color becomes principal element in his
paintings and masterpieces are born from the clews of trembling and aggressive
lines. He is sensitive to try his best and learn to express and cause emotions
by color. From a painting that he liked the day before he can create another
one, just on the same canvas.
The same happened
to his well-known «Lawn»(1887). A group of scientists by chemical analysis found
a perfect portray of unknown lady under the paints of «The Lawn». Perhaps, it was the portray of a lady who
caused a breakdown in his friendship with a famous impressionist Gauguin whom
he adored and admired. In a fit of temper and unreasonable jealousy he attacked
Gauguin with the razor to revenge himself but at the last point the friendship
won. After this incident he cut off part of his left ear and sent it with a
letter to his beloved. Soon after Gauguin left his friend in despair expecting other
flashes of his sick mind.
Van Gog
loved working at nights for he believed that night is» more vivid and rich is
colors and shades than a day». And at nights he created such masterpieces as
‘The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at night' (1888) and ‘The
Starry Night' painted within his last months of life (1890) which is currently
one of the favorite paintings of the Hollywood diva Elizabeth Taylor.
She bought that
painting at Sotheby's auction over 40 years ago almost for 260 thousand dollars,
yet the time elapsed and the cost of the masterpiece is almost by 40 times
increased and currently it costs approximately 10 million dollars. At present
the canvas decorates the house of the actress in Los Angeles.
May 1889
appeared to be tragic for Van Gogh when his friend Gauguin arrived to Arles
upon his invitation. They tried to collaborate but the attempts turned into misunderstanding
growing to furious quarrels which revealed ill-being of Van Gogh, and
afterwards his lift was divided into two points - painting and treatment. At
the age of 37 Van Gog committed a suicide.
During life
the painter who suffered a lot, did not enjoy the fame and managed to sell the
only painting, though now he is one of the demanded painters whose works are in
great demand at the world auctions. The cost of his pictures is increasing day by day therefore investments
into his pictures are very profitable and beneficial.
Thus, the painting
by Van Gogh L'Arlesienne (Madame Ginoux) potraying a hostess to a café in Paris
where the painter spent most of his time, was sold at Christie`s to the Israeli
millionaire Sami Ofer for 40,3 million dollars.
The fortune
of paintings by the Dutch artist is the same unpredicatable as his own life.
The same happened to his work ‘Wheat Field with Crows ‘which he wrote two weeks
before the suicide. Many art critics believe that the painting is the very last
masterpiece of the artist. Thus, Sotheby`s Auction facilitators expected a high
interest to that lot from the customers.
However, the
auction arrangers suffered a disappointment, when at the starting price of 20
million dollars the ‘Wheet Field' was sold only for 25 million dollars though
experts anticipated 35 million dollars at least at the auction.
Paintings
by the great artist have a mystical fortune. The most expensive masterpieceby Van
Gogh ‘Portrait of Dr. Gachet' was boughjt the Japanese collector for 82,5 million
dollars.
The picture
went so close to this admirer of Van Gogh's works that the painting was buried
along with the collecter after his death as per his will.
The whole work
by Van Gogh was marked by ecstatic possession aaggravated with expression of
color combination, rhythm and texture, quick shifts of temper from berserk
despair to the tender feeling of lucid
moments and damping. So, may be a special creative possession of Van Gogh in
the art of post-impressionism is unlikely to leave people indifferent.
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