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Van Gogh Musuem

This was my absolute most favorite thing I did in Amsterdam; I got the incredible opportunity to see the Van Gogh Musuem. Now, if you have read my National Art Gallery blog you know I am a sucker for a good art museum AND that my all-time favorite artist is Van Gogh. So being in Amsterdam and going to this museum was honestly like Christmas for me. All I need to do now is go to New York and visit the Met so I can see the Stary Night and I can die happy. I honestly had the most wonderful time there, if I lived closer it would be somewhere I would try or work or at least go too once a week.

After seeing this man's work all I can say is that he is a creative genius. His use of colors and showcasing his induvial brush strokes are absolutely gorgeous, there is not really any other way to describe it. The progression of his works was so cool to see. His earliest works was when he was 27 and he continued painting until he was 37. So, over the course of 10 years, he had 900 paintings, and 1,100 drawings/sketches. Obviously not all of his work was showcased but being able to see paintings like Wheatfield with Crows, Irises, The Potato Eaters, Almond blossom, and The Bedroom was so amazing. There were times I forgot to take pictures because I was so enthralled with the art in front of me.


After we left, I found a poem written by poet Seamus Heaney called An Artist that perfectly describes Van Gogh and his art style. Although his poem was about artist Cézanne, there are a multitude of comparisons that can be made between him and Van Gogh. One example of their devotion to their craft. the specific lines being,

"Everything pared to the fact of the brushstroke"

"Nothing evoked that was not precise"

Van Gogh was deeply committed to craft and repetition, he painted 30 different versions of sunflowers. His brush work was also carefully built up to convey emotional truth though material form. Every stroke of his paint brush is planned, calculated, and meaningful to his work.
I think two of his works that best portray this are Stary Night and Self-portrait with Gray Felt Hat. It is just incredible to see all the individual strokes he made with his brush to create such a magnificent piece of art.


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