Apprentice -- Van Gogh: Van Gogh

Author: Wei Ben
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Van Gogh's life was filled with imbalance, suffering, and tragedy. His words and actions often drew criticism, and he was always regarded as an extraordinary genius deviating from the norm. However, no matter how the composition and creation of Van Gogh's works may seem, they were not the work of a madman. Even in his obsessive creation, Van Gogh never ceased to consider order and reason. First, he had a strong foundation in sketching. His artistic career began with sketching, and he never stopped practicing it. His keen ability to capture forms and his extremely fluid lines were all thanks to this. Every one of his works steadfastly adhered to its own principles, expressing pure harmony through passion, fixing shapes with color, and defining proportions and space. His paintings were far from the work of a madman but rather the of an artist with a perfect conscience. He sought spiritual liberation through painting and explored the path of life, dissecting himself, which is evident in his over forty self-portraits. His paintings were not meant to imitate appearances or please the tastes of the upper class but rather to recreate the world according to his own wisdom and unique sensibilities. Color was not used to achieve local realism but to inspire a certain passion. He used rough, dry, and provocative colors, seeking harmony through opposition. They were either sharp or severe, with no subtle distinctions or intermediate transitions, employing a bold and straightforward approach. Van Gogh liberated color, taking it to the pinnacle of intensity and expressiveness, not only blending the expressiveness of Eastern lines but also unleashing the emotional power of Western oil painting colors. Thick layers of unblended colors were piled onto the canvas stroke by stroke. However, he remained vigilant, never sacrificing color for the sake of shaping forms. Despite influencing the entire modern painting movement, such as Fauvism and Expressionism, he had no direct successors. His paintings were his soul and body.