1. Art Awareness
Vincent Van Gogh

2. Have you seen this painting before?
Worth over 200,000 IPAD 3’s today !
= $105M
Irises ( 1890)

3. How about this one? Worth over 300,000 IPAD 3’s today ! = $150M
Portrait of Dr. Gachet ( 1890)

4. So who was Van Gogh and why is he so famous?
Dutch "Post Impressionist" painter in the 19th Century
His work is known for its:
Rough beauty
Emotional honesty
Bold color
His work had far reaching influence on 20th-century art
Vincent van Gogh ( )

5. What is "post impressionist" art?
Typically used to describe French art between
Impressionist art was characterized by the use of:
Vivid colors
Thick application of paint
Distinctive brush strokes
Real life subject matter
Post-impressionist art was inclined to:
Emphasize geometric forms,
Distort form for expressive effect,
Use unnatural or arbitrary color
Paul Cezanne
(1839–1906)
Henri Rousseau
( )
Georges Seurat(1859–1891)
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
(available at the Art Institute of Chicago)

6. Van Gogh's childhood and early life
Born: March, 30th 1853 in Southern Holland
He was regarded as a quiet child who demonstrated no inclination or talent for art
Received his first instruction in drawing in middle school
At age 16, he started working at a firm of art dealers, then as a bookstore clerk and then as a missionary to miners in Belgium

7. Becoming an Artist
( )
Vincent's brother Theo encouraged him to pursue art
Van Gogh taught himself how to draw at home
He tested various different techniques and styles along with experimenting with different subject matters
Many of his early pieces were dark and serious, in the style of earlier Dutch painters-- heavy and rich using a palette of dark colors

8. Some of his early work The Potato Eaters (1885)
Most of his work depicted peasant life, which could be attributed to his work with the miners in Belgium.
The Potato Eaters (1885)

9. Move to Paris (1886)
Van Gogh moved to Paris at his brother's suggestion in 1886
In Paris, he came into contact with several neo-impressionist, impressionist and Japanese artists who greatly influenced his style of painting
While at Paris, Van Gogh mostly focused on portraits and still-life paintings

10. Paris Works ( )
Influenced by Monet, Van Gogh began playing with colors to depict natural light in his work, such as in “Still Life with Lemons on a Plate”(1887).

11. Paris Works ( )
Influenced by Bernard, he adopted elements of ‘pointillism’, as seen in “Restaurant de la Sirene at Asnieres”(1887).

12. Paris Works ( )
Influenced by Monticelli, Van Gogh adopted a brighter palette and a bolder colors, particularly in paintings such as his “Seascape at Saintes-Maries” (1888).

13. Paris Works ( )
Influenced by Japanese Art and woodblock prints, Van Gogh incorporated distinctive cropping of objects in his compositions, bold and assertive outlines, and flat regions of uniform color, and uniform lighting.

14. Move to Arles (1888)
In 1888, tired of the life in Paris, Van Gogh left for Arles
He was enchanted by the local landscape and the vibrant light in Arles
He painted local landscapes using a gridded "perspective frame". The patchwork of fields and avenues appear flat and lack perspective, but excel in their intensity of color.

15. Work at Arles (1888)
His works from the period are richly draped in yellow, ultramarine and mauve.
He would sketch different versions before painting to help evoke the particular feeling he wanted.
He also used symbols, such as flowers that represented sun in the "Willows at Sunset”

16. Work at Yellow House, Arles (1888-1889)
After living in Arles for several months, Vincent van Gogh leased several rooms in a brightly colored house in town, which he called the Yellow House.
It is here that he created some of his most famous paintings like the ones with the “Twelve Sunflowers” and “The Bedroom in Arles”.

17. Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers (1888)
Vincent created a famous series of sunflowers in vases to decorate his friend and artist Paul Gauguin bedroom in Arles.
He utilized yellow and brown tones to emit the various emotions of sunflowers based on sunlight.
This painting currently resides in the National Gallery, London UK.

18. Vincent’s Bedroom in Arles (1888)
"Bedroom in Arles" shows Van Gogh’s knowledge of color theory with oranges against blues, and red and greens
He omitted shadows from the picture. The lack of shadows, along with the distorted perspective, makes some of the objects appear to be falling or not steady
This painting resides in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

19. Move to Saint Remy (1889)
Shortly thereafter, due to ill health, Van Gogh was forced into an asylum in nearby Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
It is while here that he created “Starry Night”, that has become one of the most celebrated art masterpieces of all time.
“Irises” was another famous painting from his last years, inspired by the nature surrounding him. The use of black contours in Irises is a typical element of Japanese woodblock prints.

20. Starry Night (1889)
"Starry Night" depicts his signature style of using visible and swirling brush strokes and intense color choices which might show his mood and state of mind.
The “Starry Night” offers a great example of movement in painting.
This painting resides in the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

21. Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890 at the age of 37
Some interesting facts about Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890 at the age of 37
Within a 10 year span, he produced around
900 oil and water color paintings,
1100 drawings and sketches
40 self-portraits
That's about a painting or sketch every other day!
However, during his entire lifetime he only sold one painting!

22. The Red Vineyard
Sold for francs which is less than $100 in today’s worth.

23. Thank you

24. Review Trivia What country is Van Gogh from?
What country did Van Gogh create most of his paintings?
What are some of the artistic features of a Van Gogh painting?
What varieties of paintings did Van Gogh create?
What were the subjects of Van Gogh’s paintings?
What is the name of Van Gogh’s most famous painting?
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime - which one was it?
Which flower is most commonly associated with Van Gogh?
Netherlands
France
Swirling brush strokes, energetic color choices
Oil on canvas, water colors, drawings, sketching, lithography
Still-life, portraits, self-portraits, landscapes
The Starry Night
The Red Vineyard
Sunflowers

25. What Next Activity Description Read Visit Color Design Paint Draw
"What Makes a Van Gogh a Van Gogh?" by Richard Muhlberger, and other great books in the LMC.
Visit
The Art Institute of Chicago and look for some of Van Gogh's paintings
Color
The Sunflower using water colors. Try different colors to express different feelings
Design
Your very own Bedroom. How is it different from Van Gogh's?
Paint
Your version of A Starry Night using short brush strokes, bold color and swirls
Draw
A View from my Bedroom Window. How can you depict sunlight playing on objects outside?
Solve
The Van Gogh word search
Eat at
Van Gogh Ear Cafe, Union, NJ, if you are ever in the Jersey state