"Before death, there is no name, and after death, it will become famous", this is the impression of most people on Van Gogh.
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime – a tragic story that has led many to believe that he was too aesthetically advanced to be appreciated by the world.
After his death, the aesthetics of the times finally caught up with him, so Van Gogh's paintings "caught fire".
| Is this really the case? |
Van Gogh was a painterly genius, there's no doubt about that. But unlike Dürer,a 13-year-old who surprised everyone, he was late in life.
Van Gogh, born in 1853, did not begin his artistic career until the age of 32, when he showed an amazing talent for color.
Before that, his painting style was very different from what we were familiar with.
Bright and bold "Van Gogh colors" did not appear until the middle of 1886!
1888 Twelve Sunflowers
The following painting is Van Gogh's 1882 "commercial draft" - a cityscape map of The Hague, the Netherlands.
This was sent to him by an uncle of a big painter, and from the perspective of the level of painting, the uncle did have a bit of a sense of giving his family a back door...
(Counting this set of commercial manuscripts, Van Gogh sold more than one work in his lifetime))
In 1883, van Gogh's pre-transformation use of color was dull.
At this stage he studied Miller's painting style (you see this image is not like "The Gleaner"), learned Miller's perspective on the people at the bottom, but did not seem to have learned his painting skills.
I'm not saying that you probably don't recognize this as Van Gogh's painting:
1883 Women on the Peat Moor
The work of 1885 looks like this,
The unique bold brushstrokes and exaggerated faces are at first sight, but the colors are still dim:
1885 The Potato Eater
It is not surprising that Van Gogh would have painted like this all his life and could not sell the paintings.
But fate is such a coincidence that it must create a madman chasing the stars and the moon on the earth.
In 1886, Van Gogh came to Paris. Shocked to see the Impressionist works, he changed his painting style and began to be bold and bold.
In June and July, the colors are bright and have begun to have an Impressionist flavor, but they are still not "Van Gogh" at all:
1886 The Hill of Montmartre with Stone Quarry
In August and September,
The classic "Van Gogh color scheme" has finally appeared!
1886 Iris
From 1886 to 1888, Van Gogh's painting level progressed rapidly, and the painting style gradually matured.
Bold in color, layered and detailed, Van Gogh in 1888 was already qualified as a master.
Van Gogh's days of catching up with the aesthetics of the times are over, and now it's the turn of the times to chase him in turn.
1888 "Open Air Cafe"
As a veteran dealer, Theo also feels that the time has finally come, and his dear brother Vincent is enough to cope with the market.
From 1888 onwards, Theo began to submit his paintings to the annual exhibition "Salon des Independence" in Paris.
The "Salon of Independence" was created by the group of Impressionists, because the Academy gave them small shoes and did not allow them to participate in the official salon, so they organized a separate "Salon of Independence", which could be exhibited as long as they paid money (yes, Theo used the ability to use money again)
1888 Harvest
The only way for a newcomer painter in the 19th century to get ahead was to make a face in an exhibition.
In February 1890, six of Van Gogh's works were first exhibited at the Les Vingt exhibition in Brussels, which was well received.
Art critic Albert Orille also published a positive article on Van Gogh's work, which is already a good record as a newcomer artist for the first time.
He also sold his first work, Al's Red Vineyard.
Although it only sold for 400 francs, it was quite exciting to open on the first exhibition.
(At that time, the franc was on the gold standard, and 400 francs was equivalent to 40,000 RMB today at the price of gold, which was not very expensive in the art world...) The weaver's weekly salary is only 4 francs)
1888 Al's Red Vineyard
In March 1890, ten of Van Gogh's works were exhibited in the Salon des Independence, and the response was very positive. The Impressionists did not hesitate to praise him:
"How happy I would be if you showed up at an exhibition of independent artists. Your paintings are well placed and look very good. Many people have come forward to ask me to greet you. Gauguin said your paintings are the key to the exhibition. —Theo to Vincent, Paris, 19 March 1890
Van Gogh is beginning to be appreciated, and his spring is coming!
……
Then he died.
On July 27, 1890, Van Gogh was shot in the chest by a bullet in a wheat field. Whether it was suicide or accidental injury is still inconclusive.
After two days in bed, on July 29, Van Gogh stopped breathing in the arms of his brother Theo, ending his short but dazzling life.
Van Gogh's last painting, Wheat Field with Crows
In this way, "Red Vineyard", which was sold five months ago, became the only painting he sold before his death.
Prior to this, Theo had not been able to sell his works, which was largely related to Van Gogh's lack of participation in exhibitions and lack of fame. Newcomers' works are always very difficult to sell.
After the death of the Van Gogh brothers, Theo's widow's dedication to these wonderful works and moving stories made Van Gogh's works widely known to the world and was held on the altar by future generations.
His epiphanies and transformations came long, but fame and death followed.
This is the real reason why Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime.
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