Category Archives: Van Gogh

The Sketchbook

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in Art Appreciation, Artist, Books, Fine Art, Impressionism, Van Gogh

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A new book of a supposedly lost Van Gogh’s sketchbook was released yesterday and it is already creating controversy among Van Gogh’s experts.  The experts at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is not convinced that the drawings are indeed Van Gogh’s.  And looking at this cover I can see where there are coming from, there are some serious issue with its physical structure, proportions and shading.  I’m also not convinced nor impressed.  More information: Van Gogh Experts Go Head to Head Over Long-Lost Sketchbook Claim

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Monet’s Record

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in Art Appreciation, Artist, Fine Art, Impressionism, NYC, Van Gogh

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Last night was a busy one for NY Christie’s, breaking the world auction record for Claude Monet at $81.4 million, just over $1 million more than the previous record, which was set at Christie’s London in 2008. This was the highest result for an Impressionist & Modern Art sale at Christie’s since May 2014. This confirms that the Impressionist’s market is alive and well folks, and I’m loving it! Christie’s Sells Monet Painting for $81.4 Million

Van Gogh’s not a Van Gogh’s?

10 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in Art Appreciation, Artist, Books, Met, Museum, NYC, Van Gogh

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Mr. James Grundvi, a construction manager who spent 3 years studying a Van Gogh’s book (not sure which one), published a book called ‘Breaking Van Gogh‘ where he  claims that one of Van Gogh’s most famous pictures, ‘Wheat Field with Cypresses‘ (Metropolitan Museum)  is a fake. Full article: New York Post

The Met has gamely played along and pointed out all the evidence in favour of the picture, including the fact that it is painted on the same bolt of canvas as many of his other pictures.

I still bought the book and will read it, just for the sake of it.

 

Stolen Van Gogh Recovered

30 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Art Appreciation, Artist, Impressionism, Van Gogh

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Italian police have recovered two Van Gogh paintings stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam museum in 2002: Two stolen Van Gogh paintings recovered after 14 years.

The paintings recovered aren’t among Van Gogh’s most famous, but I, personally, have lots of love for them.  Seascape at Scheveningen is an early work by the painter, very rare since Van Gogh only painted 2 seascapes (known), and  Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen shows his perception of  life around him, Autumn colors giving us that sense of familiarity comfort.  I’m glad they will be back on display for our enjoyment.

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Hercules Segers and Rijksmuseum

19 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in Art Appreciation, Artist, Rembrandt, Van Gogh

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The Rijksmuseum (with the help of the Metropolitam Museum) has added a number of newly attributed works of Hercules Segers, reports The New York Times, this research has been done for a new exhibition on Segers’ life, which opens at the Rijksmuseum on October 7th till January 8th, when it will then travel to the Met in New York, where it opens on February 13th. More about the research: Sergers.

Serger is not a very well known artist; I only “discovered” him after the British Museum’s exhibition on his printings and etchings back in 2012.  After reading a little about his techniques (and innovative methods) I was inspired to experiment, and after lots of unsuccessful attempts I found out that adding honey to acrylic paint not only prolongs its working life, but it also gives it a brighter tonality.

Rembrandt was also influenced by him, so much so that he started to collect Serge’s work for himself; even Turner was impressed with Serger’s colored ink two hundred years later, and today we are able to see his impact in Turner’s work.

Purple Walls and Red Floor

28 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Artist, Van Gogh

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The Art Institute of Chicago conducted a number of tests to reveal the pigments Vincent Van Gogh used in his famous “the bedroom” paintings, and found out that the walls were meant to be purple with a reddish floor.  When you look at the “recolored” painting Van Gogh’s contrast technique is more pronounced, surprisingly making the painting even more beautiful. Read more: The walls in Van Gogh’s iconic ‘The Bedroom’

 

Cleaning Sunflowers

15 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Impressionism, Van Gogh

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Van Gogh Museum are considering cleaning their version of the Sunflowers. Martin, himself a well-respected Van Gogh scholar, tells us:

A key question that is being examined is whether the varnish of the Amsterdam painting could safely be removed. Van Gogh did not varnish his pictures, preferring a matt finish, and this coating was probably added in 1927, to help protect the surface. The varnish has aged since then, leaving a brownish tinge and dulling Van Gogh’s sparkling colours.

A further problem causing concern is the deterioration of Van Gogh’s chrome yellow pigments, which have darkened and become slightly greenish-brown. This is due to a photochemical reaction that takes place when chrome yellows are exposed to light. The effect on the Amsterdam picture is to make the flowers appear flatter than originally intended. Later tiny retouchings, also probably added in 1927, now appear more orange than Van Gogh’s original ochre-looking flowers. These retouches probably reflect the colour that was present nearly 90 years ago, revealing how the picture has changed since then.

Read more: CleaningVanGogh

Vincent’s Adult Photo

07 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Art Appreciation, Artist, Impressionism, Van Gogh

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Italian art historian Antonio De Robertis claims to have identified Van Gogh in a photograph taken at Paris’s Académie Julian in early 1888. De Robertis proclaims: “We have found what is the only photo in existence of Van Gogh as an adult. Until now, we have only seen photos of him at 13-years-old and then one when he was 19.” Read More: Only photo of the artist as an adult