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Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

vangoghmuseum.nl

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Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#91

Post by swayvil »

deeg wrote: post #69
mav88 wrote: post #31

I went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam because I was there and it was on the bucket list. Pictures in a book or on web pages do not do justice to how vibrant the pictures are in real life. Plus, in the days before additional security was required, you could go right up to them (within reason) and check them out up close. They look like they were painted yesterday. Not everyone likes his work but I'm a fan.

Also, his paintings are so thick . Photos don't allow you to see how the paint was applied on top of other paint. Seeing them in person allowed me to understand that Van Gogh attacked his canvas.

Destitute outcast dressed in rags. But he could afford to slather his canvases deep with that pricey oil paint. And don't get me started on storage space. Those paintings take up room.

Maybe he had a trustfund. Maybe he spent 99% on art supplies and 1% on potatoes. I dunno.

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#92

Post by mutagen »

mav88 wrote: post #31

I went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam because I was there and it was on the bucket list. Pictures in a book or on web pages do not do justice to how vibrant the pictures are in real life. Plus, in the days before additional security was required, you could go right up to them (within reason) and check them out up close. They look like they were painted yesterday. Not everyone likes his work but I'm a fan.

I didn't have an opinion until I visited the Met and went through their impressionist exhibit. One of the centerpieces was a self portrait but I was absolutely enthralled by his Sunflower.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436524?sortB...

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#93

Post by bryanmgreen »

lizknope wrote: post #23
garyrob wrote: post #19

The FAQ on that site has an entry for "Where is ‘The Starry Night’?" and its answer is at Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Where it happens that I saw it a few weeks ago, as part of a big Van Gogh exhibition with many of his paintings. I have to say that if you have a chance to go to that, or to another Van Gogh exhibition, I really recommend it. From what I understand, not everyone resonates with his work. In fact I bel…

I was never a fan of Van Gogh until I saw Starry Night in person at MOMA in NYC. The thing that jumps out at me is literally the paint on the painting. There is a lot of height to it. The paint is so thick in sections that it sticks out far above the canvas that it can cause a shadow next to it. We tend to think of paintings as 2 dimensional but Starry Night is 3D and seeing it online or in a book or poster is not th…

My favorite thing to do when looking at paintings is to stand next to it and look at it from a steep side angle.

You can really see the texture and brushstrokes better, which as you said, brings a lot of life to the visual.

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#94

Post by yread »

AlbertCory wrote: post #75

I've been to most of the world's great art museums, but I haven't been there. (Or the Hermitage, but that's off the table at the moment /s) What are some lesser-known museums I need to add to the list? I have one for you: https://folkartmuseum.org/ . You can see the whole thing in an hour. If you think Van Gogh lacked formal training: these people had none whatsoever. This is really a great thread, HN'ers. Very liter…

From the lesser known Frans Hals in Haarlem is very nice and much less busy

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#95

Post by [deleted] »

diego_moita wrote: post #36
mav88 wrote: post #31

I went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam because I was there and it was on the bucket list. Pictures in a book or on web pages do not do justice to how vibrant the pictures are in real life. Plus, in the days before additional security was required, you could go right up to them (within reason) and check them out up close. They look like they were painted yesterday. Not everyone likes his work but I'm a fan.

> Pictures in a book or on web pages do not do justice to how vibrant the pictures are in real life This is true and big. The paintings are nice on books and screens but are stunning in real life. There is a lot of nuance in the colours that pictures don't replicate. Same happens to Vermeer landscapes. His "View of Delft" is just nice on screen but almost magical when seen in real.

[deleted]

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#96

Post by CamperBob2 »

swayvil wrote: post #91
deeg wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, his paintings are so thick . Photos don't allow you to see how the paint was applied on top of other paint. Seeing them in person allowed me to understand that Van Gogh attacked his canvas.

Destitute outcast dressed in rags. But he could afford to slather his canvases deep with that pricey oil paint. And don't get me started on storage space. Those paintings take up room. Maybe he had a trustfund. Maybe he spent 99% on art supplies and 1% on potatoes. I dunno.

"When art critics get together, they discuss color, form, and composition. When artists get together, they discuss where to get a good price on paint." - paraphrasing Picasso

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#97

Post by jhallenworld »

spaceman_2020 wrote: post #18

For an art noob, can someone help me understand why the perspective is off in so many of them? I know that he's a master and I don't want to contest that, but the perspective being off feels a little...amateurish? Or is that an intentional choice? If it is, would love to know the 'why' of it

I highly recommend this long video:

"Waldemar On The Life Of Vincent Van Gogh"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=365r2m7_B10

Waldemar is awesome, Van Gogh's life is much more interesting than I ever thought.

Also highly recommend all of Waldemar's other "Perspective" videos. You will no longer be a noob. These are definitely from his perspective- it's all about Mary Magdalene with Waldemar.

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#98

Post by rrrrrrrrrrrryan »

bookofjoe wrote: post #76
Misdicorl wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely the lighting matters but I think it is only secondary. The thing that's missing in reproductions is the physical texture of the paintings.

I'm thinking super high-end 3D printers in 10 years will solve this problem.

I'm not so certain. Up close, paintings are complex 3D sculptures made from a palette of materials, (not colors), each with varying levels of translucence, different reflective properties, different textures, etc. and they can be combined and moved around in infinitely complex ways.

Might be possible in a few decades, though.

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#99

Post by bern4444 »

For those in NYC - The Met has an exhibit on now of Van Goghs Cypresses paintings[0]

I highly recommend going if you are in NYC.

This exhibit includes Starry Night (which is on loan from the MOMA, also in NY) along with many others. For any moderate to major fan of Van Gogh it will not disappoint.

[0]https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/van-gogh-cypresses

Re: Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings

#100

Post by agnos »

mav88 wrote: post #31

I went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam because I was there and it was on the bucket list. Pictures in a book or on web pages do not do justice to how vibrant the pictures are in real life. Plus, in the days before additional security was required, you could go right up to them (within reason) and check them out up close. They look like they were painted yesterday. Not everyone likes his work but I'm a fan.

That museum is great. Spending a day there gave me a deep appreciation for Van Gogh, maybe even art in general. Pictures online definitely don't do it justice. The museum also has a good guided audio tour that narrates Van Gogh's life story as you go through the collection.

The mesmerizing colors and poignant landscapes, the neurotic physicality of the brush strokes, all told through Van Gogh's letters to his brother -- it was a vivid experience. I understood that Van Gogh saw the world in a different way, and for a moment I saw it too.

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