ESO YEAR 4 - READING: Modern Masters - Van Gogh

DUE WEDNESDAY 1ST FEBRUARY

Chapter 3 – Bright Colours

One of the best painters at that time, Paul Gauguin, impressed Van Gogh and soon, the two artists became good friends, although they were very different. While Van Gogh was serious and tormented, Gauguin was passionate and confident. Gauguin was married with five children, while at 35, Van Gogh, single and alone, devoted his life to art.

The two artists exhibited their work together at the Café du Tambourin, but Vincent didn't sell a single painting. The money didn't matter to Van Gogh, but the paintings did. He was never satisfied. He knew he could do much better with stronger colours and wilder brushstrokes.

His brother Theo supported him through these times, but living with Vincent wasn't easy and they argued a lot. Finally, Vincent told Theo that he needed a quiet place, away from city life. He was restless and exhausted from too much smoking and drinking, and he needed peace of mind. He longed for something, but he didn't know what.

Vincent decided to move to Arles in the south of France, and it was there that he finally had his breakthrough. He found a quiet home at the Hotel-Restaurant Carrel in Arles, surrounded by nature. There, he set up his easel, took out his paints, and his art came alive! He found beautiful scenes to paint and exchanged self-portraits with other artists. At last, he flourished.

Finally, Vincent could express his stormy emotions in his art. Before, he used dark colours to show poverty. But now, his canvasses exploded with bright colours. Sunflowers, Vincent's Chair and other paintings burst with life like never before.

Vincent was unstoppable. He painted fast, sometimes finishing two or three paintings in a single day. In 18 months, he painted 200 canvasses. Realism and precision were not important any more, only strong colours and violent strokes.

In The Night Café, Van Gogh painted a simple room with customers sitting at tables, drinking. A man stands by the pool table. Nobody seems busy. But every detail, the wooden floors, the gas lamps and the bottles on the bar, seem alive. Von Gogh thought carefully about every stroke and every colour.

It wasn't just the place or the colour that made the paintings so rich. It was also Vincent's character and his stormy personality. For instance, Cézanne also painted the same landscapes in the south of France. But while Cézanne saw peace and beauty in the countryside, Van Gogh saw fields burnt by the sun and destroyed by intense wind. He saw broken trees and cloudy skies. He came south looking for harmony and tranquility, but instead he found wild nature. In Vincent Van Gogh's universe, life was continually changing.

Van Gogh dreamt of forming an artists' community in Arles, and he invited Gauguin to join him. Gauguin came to visit Van Gogh and moved in. They took trips into the countryside together and painted side by side. Gauguin painted a unique portrait of Van Gogh painting sunflowers and Vincent painted Gauguin's chair. The two artists found a home together, created and shared ideas. Each one inspired the other but, to no one's surprise, the harmony didn't last very long!

Firstly, they worked very differently. Van Gogh liked painting the scenes in front of him. Gauguin didn't need to see the landscape – he worked from memory. Secondly, Van Gogh was too emotional and Gauguin was sick of arguing with him. He told Van Gogh that he planned to return north. Van Gogh threatened him and he left to stay in a hotel.

Van Gogh learned that Theo was getting married and he felt insecure and alone. Tormented and ill, Vincent had a seizure and feared that he was poisoned. He found Gauguin and threatened him with a razor blade until Gauguin ran away from him. There are different versions of what happened next. Some say Van Gogh panicked and cut off part of his own ear, while others claim that Gauguin cut it off during a fight. Van Gogh then gave it to a prostitute in the local tavern.

For three days Van Gogh lay in a hospital, unconscious. When he woke up, his head was bandaged. Theo was by his side, as usual,. There was no question about it. Vincent needed help.