Understanding Van Gogh

VAN GOGH MUSEUM z
Sunday March 27
Photography was forbidden so I had to take notes. So this will be of no interest to anyone else but me.

Van Gogh - Influences
Leon Lhermitte
'Haymaking' 1887
Well drafted group of figures in a sweeping S composition. Following 3 generations. very good 3D and loose brushstrokes.

Jean-Francis Millet of the Barbizon school

Dupe - landscapes

Antonio Mauve. 1838-88
'Woodcutters'
(Note: Very similar to a Tom Roberts painting )
Theodule Ribot 1823-91
'A kitchen boy' (also similar to the Tom Roberts painting
'Gold panning').
Jules Breton of the Barbizon school.
'Young peasant girl with a hoe'
A very nice composition - the diagonal of the hoe - the face - the bare foot.

At this point there was an announcement that an English language free guide was to start for the "Picasso in Paris" special exhibition. I was there in a flash.

I knew this Picasso exhibition was on and I was keen to do it. In my study of Picasso in Barcelona I learnt that he was a very good representational portrait painter and it was his time in Paris that moved him towards abstraction. This special exhibition followed his development. It was very instructional.

At the end I had a chat to the guide and she was of the opinion that Picasso should have stopped his move to the abstract earlier. In other words he went too far. Interesting eh! A painting Picasso did called 'De Moulin de la Galette' (remember Renoir!) Was the time he should have stopped and consolidated his move towards abstraction.

Again, back in Barcelona, Joan Miro refused all invitations to join the Spanish abstractionist group as he believed very strongly that a link to representation was necessary to have strong and powerful meaning in a painting.

Back to VG's time at Nuenen
'Head of a woman with head hanging down' 1885
'Head of an old woman's 1885
'Portrait of an old man' 1885
Very good! Clear brush stoke colour & tone, strong statement .
'The potato eaters' 1885
'Head of an old woman' 1885

PARIS 1886-7
'Square at St Pierre'
Influenced by Serat's pointalism.

ARLES 1888-9
'The pink orchard' 1888
'Sunflower'
'The harvest' very nice!
'A pair of leather shoes'

ST REMI 1889
'The garden of St Paul's hospital'
VG copied the paintings of Millet.
After Millet:
'Shearing sheep' (After Millet 'The sheep shearer')
'peasant woman binding sheaves'
'The night' 1889

AUVERS 1890
'Undergrowth' 1889
'Landscape at twilight'
Very subtle colours & dramatic lighting with NO shadows.

LEVEL 1 - MONTMARTRE
Posters, menus & small publications.
Toulouse-Laurel
Steinler
Henry Riviere
George Auroi
Edourard Vuillard
Pierre Bonnard

DAUBIGNY & MONET
Daubigny is of the Barbizon school.
Monet
'View of Prince Hendrickbade Amsterdam'
Painted in one short session on a canvas prepared with the background blue colour.

Daubigny
'Sunset near Villenelle' 2 paintings.

LEVEL 2 - WATERCOLOURS
Louis Anquetin
'Conversation time'
Toulouse-Lautrec
Steinlon
Maris Denis 1870-1945
George Lemmen 1865-1945

PREDECESSORS & CONTEMPORARIES
Anton Mauve
'Self portrait'
Jean Millet. 1847-9
'Study of the head its bearded man'
'Le depart pour le travail' 1850-1
'Woman carding wool' 1855

SYMBOLISME
Emile Bernard
Maurice Davis
'Two sisters' 1891

THE YELLOW HUT
Vittorio Matteo Coreos
'Contemplation' 1889
Face is very good, background & chair lighting good as compositional support.

Emile Bernard
'Boy sitting on grass'
'Grandmother'
View of pont Aven'

Gauguin 1888
'Portrait of van Gogh'
Camille Pissario
Manet
Monet
Cezanne
Renoir
'Young woman sitting in a garden'
Sisley
Pierre Bonnard
Van Gogh
'The Zouoaf' (De Zowave)