Vincent

Vincent

Art 1301-6401Susie Hamsho1

SUNFLOWERSThe majestic sunflower has been painted by many artist throughout the years. Artist such as Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt, Georgia Okeefe, and Diego Rivera to name only a few have left their mark on the art world with famous depictions of this magnificent flower.

The artist most widely associated with the flower is Dutch Post Impressionist Artist - Vincent van Gogh.

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Van Goghs Life, Quick Facts -Vincent was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland on March 30, 1853.He was the son of a minister and brought up in a religious atmosphere.He studied to become a Priest.Had no formal education in art; but studied for a short time in Belgium and then moved to Paris and later Arles, France where he hoped to set up a community of Artist. He suffered from seizures and mental instability most of his life.He was dependant on his brother Theo.He cut off the lower lobe of one ear during a seizure epilepsy.

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Van Goghs Life Quick Facts cont. He died on July 27, 1890 in Auver-sur-Oise, France, of a self inflicted gun shot wound. At the time of his death he had sold only one painting. He was influenced by the art of Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, various Japanese artist and his friend Paul Gauguin. Considered on of the most influential figures of the Post-Impressionism movement in France, and seen as a pioneer of 20th century Expressionism. His career lasted only ten years and he produced over 1000 drawings and 840 paintings.4

Van Goghs ThoughtsFlower still lifes lent well for experimenting with contrasting colors such as yellow and blue.He was challenged by achieving a "light on light" effect, or a contrast between the bouquet and the background.He was not trying to make an exact copy of reality, but trying to express Emotion.He attempted to invest the objects in his paintings with significance and symbolism.For him yellow was a symbol of happiness, love and light.In Dutch literature the Sunflower was a symbol of devotion and loyalty.5

Sunflowers. Photograph. National Gallery, London. National Gallery London. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. .

Van Gogh produced a total of eleven sunflower paintings.Between August and September 1988 he painted four of these sunflower paintings.One of his greatest Expressionist paintings is, Sunflowers (Tournesols) (1888).

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Vincent Van GoghOil on Canvas92.1 cm 73 cm (36.2 in 28.7 in)National Gallery, LondonSunflowers (Tournesols) (1888)The Work7

He painted daily, because it was August and the sunflowers were in bloom.

He originally intended to paint a series of twelve sunflower paintings.

He wanted to decorate a room in his studio for his friend Paul Gauguin.

He chose this subject because: He actually loved the subjectGauguin admired his previous sunflower paintings

The flowers were painted in all stages of life, from opening bloom to wilted and dying.

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He did not mix colors, and with the innovations in the pigment manufacturing processes of the 19th century he was able to use the entire range of the yellow spectrum (chrome yellow was a new color).

Painted almost all in yellow against a yellow background, making the painting almost monochrome.

To produce this sunflower painting, Van Gogh used a range of techniques, including small pointillist dots of color that gives the work a sense of vibrancy.

He also used a small squiggled stroke which is a modified version of pointillist dots.

Impasto brushstrokes were used in the seed heads and to build up the dying flowers.

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... nowadays I am trying to find a special brushwork without stippling or anything else, nothing but the varied stroke." (Quote source: Letter from Vincent van Gogh to his brother, Theo van Gogh, from Arles, c.27 August 1888.)

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Sunflower Photo

This photograph is a representational work of Sunflowers in a vase.

The focal point of the piece is the large sunflower in the center of the photograph.

The work is asymmetrical balanced with the same amount of visual elements on both sides of focal point.

This photograph has a polychromatic warm color scheme.

The dominant color in the photograph is yellow. The hues of this color create several different variations with diverse intensities that have a strong visual impact upon the viewer.

This photograph may not be the best example to interpret scale and proportion due to the lack of comparable surrounding elements.

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Comparison:

Both works have sunflowers in a vase as the main subject, and both works have bright colors. The dominant color is yellow.

Note the similarities in the flower eyes: both have two colors.The stems on Van Goghs flowers are long and slender, on the real flowers the stems are more compact and are shorter.In Van Goghs painting you can see wilted flowers, and in the photo there are no wilted flowers.Van Goghs flower heads have a more compact bushy appearance than the real flowers.You can see a difference in petal structure. In Van Goghs painting, the petals are longer and seem to shrink to a sharp point. The real sunflower has a more blunt tip.In Van Goghs Sunflower painting you can judge proportion and scale because of the introduction of the vase as something with which to relate. In the real flower photograph it is more difficult to measure proportion and scale.

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The sunflower is mine in a way.- Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theo (letter 573, January 22 or 23 1889)

A humble man Vincent Van Gogh did not sign all of his works, but on this piece you will find his signature prominentlydisplayed on the vase directly in the middle of the painting proving the importance of this work in his life.

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Vincent van Gogh's Sunflower paintings have been copied repeatedly by artist and school children over the years, but no one has been able to duplicate the intensity, energy, and passion found in Van Goghs. These paintings have been displayed all over the world, and copies appear on everything from t-shirts and coffee mugs to note pads and umbrellas.

Perhaps the most amazing feature of the Sunflower Paintings is that artists continue to copy the style that Van Gogh created over one hundred years ago.

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Not Only Can One Make A Mental Connection Between The Artists Name And Painting But Also Between The Artist And Their Influence On The Development Of Art Through These Paintings. (Van Goghs Impact on Art)

Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers, 1888 Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) Oil on Canvas, 73 x 91 cmVan Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Stichting)15

Works Cited:Van Gogh an Overview." Web. 07 Apr. 2012. http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?lang=en"Van Gogh Museum." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 June 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2012. ."Vincent Van Gogh: Biography." Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. Web. 07 Apr. 2012. .Walther, Ingo F., Vincent Van Gogh, and Rainer Metzger. Vincent Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings: Taschen, 1997. 408-11. Print."Van Gogh's Impact on Art." Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2012. .Sunflowers. Photograph. National Gallery, London. National Gallery London. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. . "Sunflowers: Vincent Van Gogh." The National Gallery, London: Western European Painting 12501900. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. . Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers, 1888.Digital image., Http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=3973&collection=454&lang=en. Van Gogh Museum. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=3973&collection=454&lang=enCampbell, Glenn. "Sunflower." Rec. June 1977. MP3

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Susie HamshoMay 1, 2012Art 1301-6401

SunflowerGlen CampbellSouthern Nights, track 5/10, disc 1/12007Pop171424.42eng - Amazon.com Song ID: 204368188