An Interpretation of Van Gogh1

(* Note: The purpose of this article is to interpret the letters written by Van Gogh to his younger brother Theo for the second time, so as to interpret the enthusiasm and pleasure in his works more objectively and fairly and correct his long-standing "crazy" image in the eyes of the public. )

1884 At the beginning of this year, Van Gogh's mother suffered a broken leg. During the recovery period, Van Gogh's care eased his relationship with his parents to some extent. Van Gogh transformed an abandoned laundry room into a studio, and then he began to focus on local textile workers. The wild style of remote Ninen brought him new artistic inspiration. He painted many landscapes and oil paintings depicting rural life.

Theogo seems to be the first person to mention Impressionism to him. At that time, Impressionism was famous in Paris for its bright colors and revolutionary technology.

1885 In the spring, Van Gogh's father died suddenly. Soon after, Van Gogh finished his first masterpiece, The Potato Eater. This painting represents the essence of his painstaking creation in recent years and the achievement of his painting skills.

Later that year, one of his unmarried female models became pregnant, which made Van Gogh suspicious. Although he seems to have nothing to do with it, the local people's views on Van Gogh have changed. So he moved to Antwerp.

In Antwerp, he studied master paintings at the new National Museum.

1886 was admitted to Antwerp College, but his rude way and self-study personality were incompatible with the harsh traditional environment at that time and he soon dropped out of school.

1In March of 886, Van Gogh came to Paris unexpectedly.

Although from then on to 1888, Van Gogh and his younger brother Theo began to live together, and the number of letters was greatly reduced. However, through other people's stories and changes in his artistic style, we can still know that he met the key figures of Impressionism, including Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Emile Bernard and georges seurat, especially the stippling method used by the latter, which influenced Van Gogh and made his painting skills mature.

1May 885-18851Early October was the last time that Van Gogh stayed in Ninen, his parents' hometown. During this period, Van Gogh's performance in painting still maintained a steady improvement, and he began to think about the brushstrokes and colors of oil paintings.

The following excerpts from some manuscripts of mr van gogh in this period, let us feel the thinking and efforts of a generation of painters in painting from the first perspective:

"This is the head sketch I just drew. One of the series of exercises sent to you before is the same, the biggest one. But the picture is smooth. I didn't highlight the brush strokes this time, and the colors are very different. I have never painted a picture like "a head painted with mud". I will paint more in the future. "

"Today's connoisseurs stand in front of Benjamin constance's" The Trial in the Boudoir ",or stand in front of the photos of the ceremony in which Spaniards or others welcome the cardinal. Out of politeness, they want to say some unfathomable compliments, such as "superb skills." When these connoisseurs face the paintings of rural life scenes or the sketches of Lafayette, they are actually criticizing the techniques of rural painters with the same obscure words. "

"You may think it's unfair for me to say this, but I know very well how those exotic paintings are processed in the studio. As long as you go out, go outdoors to create and paint on the spot, any difficulties may occur. For example, for the four oil paintings you are about to receive, I may drive away hundreds of flies to ensure that they are spotless, not to mention dust and sand. Don't forget, I have to walk for an hour or two and take the canvas through the wasteland and hedges. Sometimes, paintings are scratched by branches. Not to mention that walking in the wild for hours in this weather will be tiring and hot. Moreover, the model will not maintain a posture like a professional model, and the effect you want to capture will become more and more different over time. "

"I found Michelangelo's role great, even though his legs were slightly longer and his hips were too wide. Miller and Lemaitre are real painters. They never paint things as they are, nor are they objective things after simple observation and analysis. They, Miller, Lemaire and Michelangelo, draw their feelings. My greatest wish is to draw this deviation, correct or change the inaccuracy of the truth, and then make the painting a lie. That's fine, but it will be fairer than absolute objectivity. "

"Speaking of work, as mentioned above, I have been busy painting still life recently. They are so beautiful. I'll send you some.

I know these still lives are hard to sell, but drawing still lives is very useful. I can draw a lot in winter.

You will receive a big potato still life painting, in which I try to give shape to the object; I want to show the texture of the object, just like if you hit it, you can feel the heavy and real texture. I am drawing the bird's nest now, and I have drawn four. The colors of moss, dead leaves, grass and soil will make people who are familiar with and love nature like it very much. "

"Don't worry about the brush strokes I left on the painting. It doesn't mean anything. If you leave it for one year (or half a year is enough), and then scrape off the excess parts with a painting knife, the painted color will be more stable than that with soft strokes.

If you want the painting to look good all the time and keep the same color, you should paint it very thick in bright places. This scraping method is not only used by former masters, but also adopted by French painters now.

I think if the varnish is applied before the paint is dry, it will often fade or disappear with the passage of time, but if it is applied after drying, the effect can be more lasting.

You said yourself that the colors painted in my studio have not faded with time, but have become better. I think that's because I didn't use oil, but I painted it directly with paint.

One year after the painting was completed, the little oil in the pigment had evaporated, and only the wonderful solid pigment texture was left in the picture. In my opinion, this is the key-how to draw so that colors can stand the test of time-which is very important. But some pigments with good durability are too expensive, such as cobalt blue, which is a pity. "