preview

Vincent Van Gogh: Paving The Way Of Modern Art

Decent Essays
Open Document


Paving the way of Modern Art:
Van Gogh as a modern style icon

“Starry, starry night. Paint your palette blue and gray.”
Seems familiar? The excerpt above is from the lyrics of the song Vincent by Don Mclean. But what you don’t know is that there’s something enigmatic in this song. Given that, it is inspired from the painting The Starry night but it is also about the uncertain life and poignant death its painter - Vincent Van Gogh.
Born in 1853, a child who in his later years became an artist after realizing his true calling, the one who is unappreciated at his own time but has been a beacon of modern art today – Vincent Van Gogh, The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere. Vincent lacked self – confidence …show more content…

He sold only one painting, lived in poverty, malnourished and overworked. The money he had was supplied by his brother, Theo, and was used mostly for art supplies, coffee and cigarettes.
“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”
– Vincent van Gogh
Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years, eventually creating over 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings, in the short span of his career. From watercolors to sketches to prints, he gravitated toward self-portraits, portraits, still lives and landscapes that are characterized by impulsive, gestural application of paint and symbolic colors to express subjective emotions. Thus, creating an incomparable fusion of form that contributed to the foundations of modern art.
Tragically, after just ten years of painting and producing some paintings, Vincent van Gogh took his own life in 1890, not knowing the acclaim his art would receive. “I have risked my life for my work, and it has cost me half my reason.”
– Vincent van …show more content…

His work is still astounding millions around the world daily, and though he sold only one painting during his lifetime, his effect on the outcome of art has been amazing and overwhelming– influencing generations of artists to come.. His canvases emphasize his personal expression brought to life in paint, reaching new records when sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Each providing a direct sense of how the artist viewed each scene, interpreted through his eyes, mind, and

Get Access