Despite not being an art lover or someone who knows how to appreciate art, I'm glad that my recent visit to the Van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery in London wasn't a total waste. Previously all I knew about Van Gogh were a couple of his famous paintings such The Sunflower and The Starry Night, and that he suffered from mental illness and cut his own ear off. After the exhibition, I can't say I now know a lot more about this master, but I have learned a tiny little bit more about the last couple of years of his life.
The Garden : Poetic Interpretation
The exhibition was held in six rooms in the gallery, the first part is called The Garden : Poetic Interpretation. Such a beautiful name but with a dark side. The paintings here are from 1888 to 1889 when Van Gogh suffered his first mental breakdown, infamously cut off his left ear and was admitted to mental hospital.
Van Gogh continued to paint during his stay in hospital. He wasn't allowed to leave the premises, so used the hospital gardens as inspiration, often adding imaginary people into his works.
The Yellow House : An Artist's Home
The next section includes works from the time before and after his mental breakdown, when he was working from his studio, The Yellow House. To laymen like me, the Starry Night is probably his best known work after the Sunflower.
Sometimes I find people looking at the paintings as interesting as looking the paintings itself, that's why you'll see a lot of people in my photos.
The style of Van Gogh's work here is very different from the previous section when he was hospitalised. The painting on the left below is called The Bedroom and is his bedroom when he was working and living at his studio The Yellow House. It's almost a child like painting, but if you zoom in you can see the finer details such as his incorporating his other works within the painting. There's a painting on the top of the wall in The Bedroom, that's his Self Portrait. The original is displayed next to The Bedroom at the exhibition.
Variations on a Theme
By 1889, Van Gogh was in and out of hospital again. During his stay this time, he was given a room which he sets up as his studio. A lot of his work during this period is inspired by the countryside by the hospital. Olive trees often feature in his works, and he uses more calligraphic strokes to enhance textures and colours to his works. Here's a selection of some of the paintings that I liked.
Sunflower
Of course, I cannot not share the Sunflower with you when visiting a Van Gogh exhibition. I am grateful that I can see so many of these master pieces under one roof. Although I don't fully appreciate them, I still consider it a great experience as it's not every day one gets to see a Van Gogh exhibition.
