Vincent Van Gogh was a post-impressionist artist who was born on 30th March 1853. However, it wasn’t until he died and years after that his work became well-renowned for its use of well-structured compositions, colour co-ordination and his infamous brushstrokes. Moreover, his style itself is extremely eye-catching. One of the things you notice first is the strong palette combination, then the direction of the lines that aid in the focus on the focal point. This is very effective as it guides the viewer throughout the whole piece. Another thing that I like about Van Gogh’s work is how he always uses a balanced amount of colour versus linework.
In this painting, you can see when zoomed in, he has used subtle brush strokes to indicate the bodies of the trees. This proves to be neither too strong or too soft, and by doing so, makes it more pleasing to the eye. It also prevents the work from being over-crowded and complex, giving it a sufficient amount of negative/positive space. Ultimately, I feel that although this seems like a very simple-styled painting, it’s a lot more complicated on terms of composition than sought to be. The reason I say this is due to how many curves, strokes and small hints of colour are within this painting. When from afar, this isn’t as noticeable, however still strengthens the painting’s direction.
Here is another painting by Van Gogh. This has to be one of my favourite works of his. This is due to how he incorporates the light through the wheatfield, in which strongly contrasts with the dark sky- this makes the painting seem intimidating. Although the painting is completely flat, it almost looks as though there is motion in the work, between the field and birds moving in the wind. The piece itself seems to portray feelings of sadness and fear- these are suggested by how empty and eerie it looks with the odd variation of hues. The composition is rather simple, but instead of just using simple mechanics of perspective, he also has used brushstrokes to follow this guide towards the middle. I personally think this is a very clever tactic. Although I wish to be flat with colour in my style, I may think more about the adverse ways I can make a composition strong, not just including the obvious factors.
In conclusion, looking at Van Gogh’s work has inspired me to experiment a bit more loosely, both with my composition and colour palettes. For future references, I will keep in mind how and why his artwork as a whole is powerful in order to aid me in my journey- regardless of the difference between art forms.
Image links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatfield_with_Crows
https://pixels.com/featured/25-olive-trees-vincent-van-gogh.html