Creative Nudge - Vincent's Footsteps

 

I've been on a pilgrimage of sorts - visiting Arles, France where Vincent Van Gogh spent some of his last years, and where he created many of his most popular works, including his Sunflowers.

Here I am where he painted the Cafe Terrace at Night, and I also visited the hospital where he stayed seeking a cure, and where he painted in the courtyard. I stood on the river embankment where he painted Starry Night over the Rhone, and I visited where The Yellow House used to stand. (where he lived in Arles)

Many consider Van Gogh's time in Arles to be the most creative of his career. Many of Van Gogh's best known works were produced during his time in this town in Provence.

Here you see the dark swirling cypress trees, the the misty twirls of translucent low-hanging clouds, and the golden light and pink atmospheric skies that must have inspired Vincent to paint the that special quality of Light in Arles.

Many of his paintings have not been seen in the west, because they hang in Moscow at the Hermitage or the Pushkin Museum. I noticed several unfamiliar Van Gogh paintings on the postcard racks in Arles, and discovered that they hang in Russia!

Tomorrow I'll go to see more of his work at the D'Orsay Museum in Paris, and when I return home to Denver I'll see the Van Gogh exhibit at the Denver Art Museum.

I didn't realise til this week, that Van Gogh was influenced by Japanese Ukiyo-e woodcut prints. He mentions Japan more than a hundred times in dozens of his letters to friends and family.

Japonaiserie was the term Van Gogh used to express the influence of Japanese art. Impressionist artists such as Manet, Degas and Monet, followed by Van Gogh, began to collect the colored wood-block prints called ukiyo-e. There are more than 400 wood block prints in the collection of Vincent and Theo. (now with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam) Once you realise the Japanese influence, you find it obvious in his work.

Trends and influences all seem to move in spirals: they go through a cycle, and make a big circle before arriving in the same, but somehow a new and different place. Artists are inspired by the work of others, and then their reinterpretation will serve as an inspiration for someone else in the future. And so it goes....

I wish you a Happy New Year brimming with inspiration and creativity. Don't be afraid to take the inspiration from another artist, because some day your work may light the way for another creative seeker. We are all following on this path together. The separation of time and space are only an illusion. The passion we feel for color and design is Universal, and we feel it just as strongly today, as Vincent did 125 years ago.

Comments

[Dawn Fortenberry]

LOVE the colors and lines in this picture! but most of all i love what you said about not being afraid to take inspiration from another artist...because i so often fear being 'plagiaristic' and wind up doing nothing because i'm trying to be completely original. those words turned a key in the lock of my soul :)

[Karen Hays]

Enjoyed your travels about Van Gogh. Was at the Musee D'Orsay last March to see some of his paintings and in May am planning to stay in Auvers where he did his last paintings. Wish I could travel as much as your do, I enjoy reading about your trips!
Karen

[Guilagreerart]

Luana, Happy New Year and thank you for writing about Van Gogh.
I'm sure you must have loved the D'Orsay. The day we spent there was a highlight of our recent (Oct/12) trip to Paris. There is something so compelling about his work - always.
Your comments about Arles have gotten me all fired up. I haven't been to Arles but you can bet it's on our list for the next trip to France!!

[Gayle]

Happy New Year!
Loved this blog entry!
Several Years ago at the LA County Museum of Art they held an exposistion of the Van Gogh's Musuem's paintings. One of these was a "Japanese" style painting. Love Van Gogh! Again, thank you!
Gayle

[Jean MacNeill]

Loved this entry, and love your passion and insight into all aspects of color and design. I always learn from your travels and reports of what you see. Thanks for making my day!

[Nancy Noel]

Hello there!

I love receiving the info and photos of Luana traveling. It broadens me and I feel like I am traveling with her.