Displaying Van Gogh

For the first field trip in one of my classes, known as Visual Art Concepts 2, we attended the Cincinnati Art Museum to experience beauty.  The beauty could be found in anything, from the paintings on the walls to the exit sign by the door.  I happened upon my favorite painter, Vincent van Gogh and that became my experience of beauty.  It was so because of the way the painting was displayed.

Undergrowth with Two Figures
Vincent Van Gogh
1890

The painting above was displayed in an alcove made up of floor to ceiling black fringe with one lone spot light fixed on the painting.  As I stood there, gazing at one of the last pieces Van Gogh painted right before he died, I was transported to that forest with the two figures.  I do not believe I would have had that same experience if the piece had been shown in a different setting; especially a setting such as shown below, just on a wall surrounded by other paintings.

The way art work is presented is crucial to the audience's experience of an artists work.  I highly recommend that you go to Cincinnati Art Museum and experience this Van Gogh painting just as I did.  

Here is the link to the Cincinnati Art Museum website:

http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/

Artist of the Month #2

This month the artist is one of my absolute favorites: Vincent Van Gogh.  I love Van Gogh so much that I have three posters of his paintings displayed on the two walls next to my bed.

I remember falling in love with Van Gogh's Starry Night many years ago when I first saw it in my middle school art text book. His unique impasto style brush strokes and intriguing color palette are what first caught my eye.  But the artwork that stole my heart and won me over as a true Van Gogh fan is 

Skull with Cigarette, 1885

On my first school trip to NYC, I was fortunate enough to see Starry Night at the MOMA, in person, with my very own eyes! I was stunned! I walked around the corner and saw it hanging alone on a small wall in the center of the room surrounded by other works of art.  I didn't believe my eyes that this was truly Van Gogh's Starry Night until I confirmed from a friend that I wasn't seeing things! As I walked closer to get a better look and take it all in, I almost cried.  I was honestly surprised by its size, I had expected it to be much larger. All in all, it was magnificent and the experience of seeing this masterpiece in person was unforgettable.

If you want to gain a better understanding of Van Gogh, in a fictional but possibly very accurate way, I recommend watching episode 10 of season 5 of the Doctor Who series.  In this episode, the characters travel back in time and meet Vincent Van Gogh.  There are some fictional additions, of course, but ultimately you gain a sense of Van Gogh's life and personality.  Watching this made me feel a stronger connection to one of the world's most influential artist.  Below is a link to the best clip from the entire episode. Enjoy!

http://www.bbcamerica.com/doctor-who/videos/vincent-van-gogh-visits-the-museum/