The movie, Loving Vincent, that we saw on Monday at The Avalon reminded me of some things about Vincent Van Gogh. Here are some of his famous paintings that the movie brought to life along with some interesting facts:
- Did you know that Van Gogh didn’t start painting until he was 27 years old? Maybe that gives hope to all of us late bloomers out there.
- Did you know that he produced his most famous painting while in an asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France. He painted Starry Night while in this mental hospital. (You can paint Starry Night with us on Friday. Click here to register.)
- In just the ten years that he painted he produced about 900 oil paintings….some the most famous paintings in the world today.
Some say none but other references say he sold just one painting in his lifetime. It was called “The Red Vineyard”.- His brother, Theo, supported him in his art providing supplies and encouragement was with Vincent when he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Some sources say that he was shot by a village boy.) Theo reported that Vincent’s last words were “the sadness will last forever.”
It’s hard to believe such a tortured soul produced so many beautiful works of art. He painted flowers and landscapes like no other and mainly because he was so poor he couldn’t afford to pay models to sit for him. We’re lucky he chose to paint.
Here’s what their website says about the film: “Loving Vincent is the world’s first fully painted film. We painted over 65,000 frames on over 1,000 canvases. We shot the film with actors, and literally painted over it frame by frame. This is a very laborious and time-consuming process. It has taken us 4 years to develop the technique, and it took us over 2 years with a team of over 100 painters working at studios in the Polish cities of Gdansk and Wroclaw, and a studio in Athens to complete the film.
I made a day trip to Boston yesterday (yes, it’s a long way for a day trip) to see the Matisse exhibit. What an amazing display!!! I admit that I am a BIG fan of Matisse. But anyone who appreciates art and creating it would love this exhibit.
Enjoy!
Twenty-three years seems like forever. That’s how long it’s been since we lost my mom, Barbara Ann Chancey Walker. She was a wonderfully beautiful soul and I miss her every day.
The National Gallery of Art brings wonderful works of art to the public (for free admission) that would not ordinarily be on view. An example is the recent purchase of Gerard van Honthorst’s monumental masterwork, The Concert, that was acquired by the National Gallery in 2013 and went on display for the first time in 218 years.
Michelangelo was born on this day in 1475. 
The Studio 