I was completely, wonderfully, overwhelmed by the Van Gogh exhibition at the RA. I’m ashamed to say I really didn’t know that much about Van Gogh – beyond the sunflowers and ear business, which is bit embarrassing really. This exhibition really lets him shine – through both paintings and words as he expresses his commitment, dedication and aggressive exploration of his new found art (he only painted for the last 10 years of his life and died aged 37, his life culminating in a frenzied creative whirlwind that lasted 70 days, during which time he painted at least that many number of pictures). The exhibition takes as its starting point the vast numbers of letters he wrote, mainly to his brother Theo - they are filled with amazingly eloquent and passionate essays exploring and explaining the composition of his work, his creative determination and application of his skill, together with sketches and illustrations (often miniatures of pieces he’s working on) – chalk sketches on backs of envelopes, scenes scratched into the corner of a headed letter, ink drawings on postcards etc (which site next to the finished version in the exhibition). The main themes which dominate his missives: his interest in peasant life, portraiture, his preoccupation with colour (my favourite section of the gallery; the vase of cornflowers, daisies, poppies & carnations literally throws itself at you) group the paintings together, with each room tackling a subject. Surprising things for me included the clear and self-confessed influence of Japanese art on his work, plus the sheer daring of some of his pieces – the bold colour, the madly undulating swirls. the show is fabulously curated – the story comes from the paintings and letters themselves, they can’t help but tell the story, which is so refreshing. I’ll be going again and again, I imagine…
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