Thomas Doss

Van Gogh

The present composition is not a work inspired by the life of the famous painter, but rather an attempt at pictorial immersion in his world. In addition to Van Gogh's nature and tragic life, his painting technique, the bright colors of his paintings and his view of nature served as inspiration for this musical work. Point by point and stroke by stroke, Van Gogh brought his own world to life on canvas.



On the life of Van Gogh:

The Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh was one of the most important pioneers of modernism, but he received little recognition during his lifetime. As an artist, he chose for himself a life of poverty and seclusion. His most important works from today's perspective were created from 1880, when he was already more or less addicted to madness. While his earlier works could still be classified as contemporary, he matured into a pioneer of Expressionism with increasing self-knowledge in his later work. He lived to be only 37 years old and created over 750 paintings and 1600 drawings in the last ten years of his life.



On the outline of the work:



Beginning: brushes and colors

Van Gogh withdrew to Arles in southern France, where he found his artistic home. The colors and blooming gardens of this landscape awakened in him an incredibly great creative power.

A: A picture is created

Van Gogh's psychoses and depressions did not keep him from painting wonderful pictures. Hardly anyone recognized his genius during his lifetime - on the contrary, he often felt misunderstood.

C: Paris - Arles

In Paris (from 1886), Van Gogh was inspired by the French art scene. But his works found few takers. He met the painter Paul Gauguin, who became his friend. But the lack of success made Van Gogh irascible and he began to drink. Eventually, he moved from Paris to Arles in southern France to start an artists' colony with Gauguin. After only a few weeks, the two got into such a heated argument that Van Gogh went after his friend armed with a knife. The paths of the friends parted and subsequently Van Gogh cut off his own right ear.

In 1889, he voluntarily admitted himself to a mental hospital in St Rémy, as he suffered from hallucinations and feared losing his mind.

G: Starry Night

One of his most famous paintings, painted in 1898.

H: Death and Brotherly Love

Vincent van Gogh accepted an invitation to Auver-sur-Oise in 1890. This period counts as his most intense creative period. He also went there for treatment, but his mental condition hardly improved. After an extended walk, under mysterious circumstances, he fatally injured himself with a pistol. Not even his beloved brother Theo, who had supported him all his life, he revealed on his deathbed how it had come to the accident.

J: Art market Today, Van Gogh's paintings on the art market are among the most expensive images of painting. What irony - since he could sell nevertheless during lifetime hardly a picture.

"I put my heart and my soul into my work and lost my mind." (Vincent van Gogh).