The Potato Peeler Analysis

In my research / readings of my chosen Artist, I found a lot of information about them that I will descibe individually. Based on the biography, It has been stated that Vincent “was a most well known post-impressionism Artist, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, he was highly emotional, lacked self-confidence and struggled with his identity and with direction.” (Templeton Reid) In the late 1800’s is when Vincent basically made the decision to become an Artist, in which he wanted to provide some type of Happiness because he was able to create beauty (Templeton Reid). As you review the art chosen above by Vincent Van Gogh, you will notice the colors used were dark i.e. Greens, Oranges, Blues, with splashes of yellow to create the sun, which led me to believe that maybe this was when he was in the dark place of his life. In the Van Gogh painting, I see big trees with the nice bright sun shining over the blue water, while looking at the trees it makes me feel safe because of the openness of the surrounding space, also the brightness of the sun and the coolness of the water makes me calm and relaxed, it’s just something about being in nature that gives me a sense of peace and direction, nothing to distract or disturb me.

This sky keeps the viewer's eyes stimulating about the painting, following the curves following the stars. Whereas "The potato eaters." was completed in 1885, is consider one of the many first great works of Van Gogh. While drawing this piece Van Gogh had only recently started painting and did not master the technique that would make his piece well-known. The painting consists of 5 figures sitting on the table eating potatoes, 4 women and one male. This piece had a darkness laced which led to mixed emotions. Looking at the piece you can almost hear the figures' conversation as if you are sitting with them on the table. The artist knew that his Starry Night synthesis was to some degree dreamlike and adapted and in a letter to his sibling he even alluded to "misrepresentations as far as the piece." The clear style picked by van Gogh was irregular - he picked lines to depict this night scene when outlines would have been a more evident decision. These subtle elements in "The potato eaters." are incorporated yet are not constrained to The crossbeam sheets in the back of the

Feminism has been around for centuries. Victim feminism leads to negative perceptions and the alienation of women. Women seem powerless and almost to the point of rejecting any power they do have. It portrays women as “just that”, a woman. There to do the woman's job, and only that. By examining the poem “Cinnamon Peeler” by Michael Ondaatje, the reader gets a feel of victimized women and the inequality of women in a male dominated society. The Cinnamon Peeler himself is portrayed as a wealthy and prosperous man. Cinnamon is an exotic eastern spice, so this symbolizes social and economic status. He is portraying himself on a higher status than women.

Although these paintings were painted two hundred and seventeen years apart, they share some similar artistic qualities, but they are not so similar as to be indistinguishable from their own time period. Both Jan Steen and Vincent Van Gogh paint subjects around the table with hats and head coverings, a vanity that seems to stretch through both time periods and up to the modern era as well. The visual textures of both paintings are very similar as well. Each painting gives the illusion of a soft table covering and hard surroundings. In each painting the subjects are enjoying a vice, smoking in The Merry Family and Coffee in The Potato Eaters. The focal point of both paintings is similar too. In each the viewer’s attention is pulled to the table itself and is hastening to observe the people gathered around it. That seems to be where the similarities stop. Jan Steen uses a warm palette with a daytime natural lighting that plays across the painting from the window. In contrast, Van Gogh uses a cool palette and paints his scene at night using the whispering light of an overhead lantern.

Mary Ann Shaffer’s and Annie Barrows’ novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society offers insight into life during, and shortly after, World War II through a collection of letters between successful author Juliet Ashton and many others ranging from her publisher to a man by the name of Dawsey Adams who found a book with her address in it. Juliet describes her hardships during the war, specifically on page 25, paragraph 4, where she can be quoted saying: “Remember the night last year when you met my train to tell me my home had been bombed flat? You thought I was laughing in hysteria? I wasn’t- it was in irony-if I’d let Rob store all my books in the basement, I’d still have them, every one”. On this quotation you can see how Juliet

Van Gogh was really good at what he did I really liked the Starry Night over Rhone painting it looked really realistic. I liked the way he always painted the sky or painted things in nature. He used the same colors that he used in the Starry Night to paint the art piece Starry Night Over

In his illustrations and paintings, he like to use a very traditional technique to paint, he would start with draw a number of thumbnail of his models, and then get the perfect composition, then he uses round or flat soft sable brushes with paint that shined down by turpentine, to get a thin wash of the composition, then he would use flat hard bristle brushes with regular and thicker paint to do the rest of the painting, with this technique, he is able to keep the shadows transparent and thin, but also a interesting light side with all his characterized brush

Imagine a life where reality is distorted and the only true companion to walk through life with are paints, brushes, and a blank canvas beckoning the artist to reveal his truth. This is the life and reality of famed artist Vincent van Gogh. The artist led a tragic and depressing existence from a young child, which continued throughout his adult years until his early departure at the young age of 37. Van Gogh left behind a legacy of beautiful and interpretive paintings, which express appealing landscapes, delicate flowers, and humanity in their surroundings. It begs the question, how could a gifted artist depict and interpret society so well in his paintings but have an inability to make personal connections

the artist use earthy like colors to convey a realistic feeling in the painting. Additionally, this painting is sensible and non-misrepresented, as it serves to demonstrate the daily life of a peasant family after a hard working day. Vincent van Gogh painting is sensible and non-misrepresented because he synthesizes his idea about art and society: he created a painting not only of peasants but for peasants (The Guardian). In Vincent van Gogh painting, The Potato Eaters,

“In 1886, he went to Paris to join his brother Theo, the manager of Gopil’s gallery in Paris, van Gough studied with Cormon inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin. “He was so taken with these new impressionist painters, he tried to copy what they did but was unsuccessful. He saw, in Paris, new ideas never thought of before and started lightening his dark shades and thus, developed a bolder, unconventional, and truly unique style. Though he had changed his style, Van Gogh was still not selling any work which drew him even more into depression as

He tended to explore the darker aspects of life and death in his paintings. Rebelling against conventional ideas- divine intervention, Virgin Mary, and death- he came to create his own style, forcing civilization ahead, and forcing others to follow his path. His paintings show pleading through man's direct knowledge of God (Cunningham and Reich 1640). By revolting against the classical traditions, he created his own style, which other artists wished to portray also. Thus, he created a forward movement in the fashion of art and architecture.

His early paintings had an unconventional, unique, and unfinished look about them. The images were known to everyone in everyday life.

The people back in the 19th century really didn’t accept Van Gaogh’s truthful and emotionally morbid way of expressing the way of art is to himself. It finally was seen as art through the people’s eyes. This set a stage of art that is now known as Expressionism. It is best characterized by the use of symbols and a style that expresses the artist’s inner feelings about his subject. His style of painting is exemplified by a projection of the painter’s inner experience onto the canvas he paints on. Van Gogh’s paintings are done with his feelings that goes on in his life. (Mark Harden’s Artchive)

Vincent Van Gogh was formed by his social, cultural and historical context. This is expressed clearly in the underlying stories of both paintings, Starry Night, 1889 and Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889. Both of these paintings portray a narrative relating to Van Gogh significantly as he emotionally connects to the subject in each painting. Van Gogh’s aim of these subjective works was to express meaning through colour and express the painting to a more personal emotion for the viewer. Van Gogh belonged to a small style of Post Impressionism which was a reaction against Impressionism and their formality.

The artist of this painting was named Vincent van Gogh and he was born on the 30th of March in 1853. He was known to be a self-taught painter of the post-impressionist style. Post-impressionism was used to describe the development of French art since Manet. Vincent van Gogh artist style was to practice the uses of bright colors, distinctive brush strokes, thick application of paint, and unwavering subject matter about the realities of life in this masterpiece. Vincent van Gogh found his place in art and produced emotional and visually attractive paintings over the course of a career that lasted about a decade.