If there were a list of people questioning how a museum could be entirely devoted to the work of a single artist, that list would likely include Vincent Van Gogh and his family. During his lifetime Van Gogh was not highly regarded for his work, very little of it was purchased during this period, and following his passing his brother Theo and sister-in-law Jo continued the work of creating public awareness for his paintings. 🤯
The Vincent Van Gogh Museum offers more than just an opportunity to appreciate his art, but also an intimate personal portrait of the artist himself. The art that you’ll see is expectedly excellent, but the telling of his story is also noteworthy.
Van Gogh had no interest in becoming an artist until the age of 27, but after crossing that threshold he dedicated the next year of his life to teaching himself to draw by studying the work of others.
Upon entering one room that was dominated by no less than 13 self-portraits, I incorrectly surmised that they were completed simply out of vanity. Rather, I learned that they were actually self-directed exercises to further develop his skills in the application of color, brushwork, and facial expression portrayal.
In spite of suffering mental breakdowns and being hospitalized in an asylum, he envisioned painting as a form of therapy and astonishingly produced more than 70 paintings over a 70 day period as a form of self-treatment.
I was fascinated by standing so close to the paintings to clearly see not only the brushstrokes, but also the amount of paint that was applied to various sections. Take a look at the closeups I’ve included of “Wheatfield with a Reaper” and “Wheatfield under Thunderclouds.” The amount of paint Van Gogh applied makes these paintings feel like they’re 3 dimensional.
If you’ve ever dreamt of actually running your fingers across a masterpiece, there’s a replica of “Sunflowers” that you are invited to touch so that you can better appreciate the unique textures. 😱
Making reservations is highly recommended, photography is permitted, and complimentary storage lockers are available.
And that’s…Henry’s Take.
Finger Model Credit 👆@danavoros
Van Gogh Museum
Museumplein 6
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 570 52 00
