Van Gogh exhibition

joanlawson

Hi to any fellow art lovers

In January 2010, the Royal Academy of Arts will stage a landmark exhibition of the work of Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890). The focus of the exhibition will be the artist’s remarkable correspondence. Over 35 original letters, rarely exhibited to the public due to their fragility, will be on display in the main galleries of Burlington House, together with around 65 paintings and 30 drawings that express the principal themes to be found within the correspondence. Thus the exhibition will offer a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the complex mind of Vincent van Gogh.

Is anyone planning to go to this exhibition :?: It runs from 23rd January to 18th April. I am determined to go as I have always enjoyed Van Gogh's work.

A few years ago, I went to some of the places in France where Van Gogh painted some of his most famous pictures. I found it incredibly moving to follow in his footsteps to places like Arles, where he painted the famous cafe scene, and finally to the asylum at Saint-Remy where he painted Starry Night. I also saw the cornfield where he shot himself ''for the good of all'' ( his words )

It is amazing that all his finest works were painted in less than three years, and he only sold one painting in his lifetime.

Joan

salamander

Yep. I'm going. Maybe next week. I love his paintings and we don't often get a chance to see many of them here. I was given a book of his letters and another of his drawings when I was an art student. Somebody borrowed the letters and haven't seen them since.

joanlawson

Hi Sally

I hope you will enjoy the exhibition. Please let me know what you think of it when you have been.

Re Van Gogh's letters; the exhibition displays many of his letters, including one found on his body after he had shot himself.

joyful164

There is a 2 page article on it in the Radio Times 23- 29 - Tim Marlow will be presenting a guide to the exhibition on Sunday 14 Feb on Sky Arts 2 and it's discuss on Radio 4's Saturday Review on 23 January.

Joy

joanlawson

joyful164 wrote:

There is a 2 page article on it in the Radio Times 23- 29 - Tim Marlow will be presenting a guide to the exhibition on Sunday 14 Feb on Sky Arts 2 and it's discuss on Radio 4's Saturday Review on 23 January.

Joy

Thank you for the information, Joy.

salamander

joanlawson wrote:

Hi Sally

I hope you will enjoy the exhibition. Please let me know what you think of it when you have been.

Re Van Gogh's letters; the exhibition displays many of his letters, including one found on his body after he had shot himself.

Thanks Joan, I will let you know. Might go next week if I am fit enough. I've been to Auvers and seen his and Theo's grave. It is avery pretty little village on the Seine full of wonderful patisseries but quite steep, if I remember correctly.
xx

joanlawson

Hi Sally

I would find it very moving to see Van Gogh's grave. His brother, Theo, supported him all his life, and I think most of the letters in the exhibition are between Vincent and Theo.

One thing which I found incredibly moving when I went to the south of France was to see the exact olive trees which he painted. They live for hundreds of years, so the same ones are still there beside the asylum where he was a patient. There were reproductions of the paintings beside them, so you could see they were the same shapes.

Joan

joanlawson

Thank you for the information, Rehab and Esther de Leeuw. It is a bit confusing, and those Dutch gutteral pronunciations are hard to get your tongue round, aren't they :?:

I think I will just stick to Van Goff, or even Vincent, which is the same in all languages, I think.

But what about Esther de Leeuw :?: Now that's got me worried. Is it pronounced de Loo, do you think :?: Poor woman :!:

Joan

joanlawson

I was reading today about how and why Van Gogh cut off his ear.

I have always thought it was his right ear because that is how it appears in his painting where he is all bandaged up. But of course he was looking at himself in a mirror, so it was actually his left ear.

According to police reports at the time, Van Gogh cut off his ear, wrapped it in newspaper, and delivered it to a prostitute called Rachel at a brothel he frequented with Gauguin.

But he had a history of self-harming, and he was probably influenced by the tradition of cutting off the bull's ear at the bullfights in Arles, where he was living with Gauguin at the time. The matador would present the bull's ear to an attractive girl in the crowd, so that probably explains why Vincent sent his ear to Rachel.

He had no success with the ladies he fell in love with, so could only send it to one he paid for. A sad story, isn't it?

salamander

joanlawson wrote:

Hi Sally

I would find it very moving to see Van Gogh's grave. His brother, Theo, supported him all his life, and I think most of the letters in the exhibition are between Vincent and Theo.

One thing which I found incredibly moving when I went to the south of France was to see the exact olive trees which he painted. They live for hundreds of years, so the same ones are still there beside the asylum where he was a patient. There were reproductions of the paintings beside them, so you could see they were the same shapes.

Joan

Hi Joan, yes it was moving actually. Quite sad. I would love to go to south of France to see the olive trees. Would love to go anyway, haven't been since I was a teenager!
I might try and get there this week. It's got fab reviews!
Sally

countessheather

My sister and brother-in-law have just had a house built in Gauguin. I wonder who owns the brothel?

Stary, Stary nights, picture pallet blue and grey....warm sunshine on a winters day, with eyes that burn like fire in my soul....now I understand, what it is you say to me and how you struggeled for your sanity...they did not know then, they do not know now, prehaps they never will....

joanlawson

countessheather wrote:

My sister and brother-in-law have just had a house built in Gauguin. I wonder who owns the brothel?

Stary, Stary nights, picture pallet blue and grey....warm sunshine on a winters day, with eyes that burn like fire in my soul....now I understand, what it is you say to me and how you struggeled for your sanity...they did not know then, they do not know now, prehaps they never will....

Hi

Is there a place called Gauguin :?: Where is it :?:

In Arles there were no fewer than six brothels, according to the Arles census of 1886, all clustered around the rue de la Cavalerie, rue des Recolets and rue du Bout d’Arles – a few minutes’ walk from the house in Place Lamartine where Van Gogh and Gauguin lived.

This ample supply for a town of around 20,000 inhabitants was explained by the fact that there was a large garrison in Arles.

countessheather

Northern brittany my dear watson! Wow, so many brothels and so little time - I wounder how long it will be before `the Train to Gain a Brain Cell' brigade will suggest this as a `viable and sustainable source of oppertunaties and wealth' whilest claiming EAS for all disabled claiments? Well children, just lie on your backs and think yourselfs lucky! :roll:

salamander

hi Joan, just to let you know I saw the Van Gogh exhibition today. It is one of the best exhibitions the Academy has put on. The drawings are beautiful (particularly the potato diggers) as are some of the little sketches in the letters but the paintings are the star of the show. They were just fantastic. Lovely use of colour, lots of yellows and greens with violets and blues. Just gorgeous, fresh and vibrant, as if they were painted yesterday. I know quite a lot of them through books but you can't beat seeing them in the flesh. Lots of prints too and, of course, the letters. My favourites were a fantastic painting of a vase of white roses and a small painting of a farmer which was drawn from one of Hokusai's prints as far as I could see. Also loved the final painting in the show which was wheat fields after the rain in Auvers. Having been to Auvers I was right there with him!

The place was heaving - lots of home counties peeps in London for the day and you had to elbow your way to the front sometimes but well worth it. Highly recommend it if you can possibly manage to get there.
Sally

joanlawson

Hi Sally

Thank you for the update on the exhibition. I haven't been yet, but still hoping to before it finishes.

salamander

joanlawson wrote:

Hi Sally

Thank you for the update on the exhibition. I haven't been yet, but still hoping to before it finishes.

Do make the effort Joan, it's one of the best I've seen in years - and I go to a lot!