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Alex's avatar

It took time to understand he was in possession of quite new means of delivery that nobody had in that time, and also I think it took being friends with Gauguin in Arles in 1888 he shared lodgings with for two months. This understanding must have made him feel exultant, I'm sure. His work was so prolific in these last two years of his life.

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Marty Lewinter's avatar

I learn much from your well-written articles! This essay on Van Gogh is thought-provoking and insightful. Keep on writing, Yonatan.

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Ray Schram's avatar

I’m glad you came to value Van Gogh, but I think you should give other artists like Gauguin (who he respected tremendously) more of a shot. They weren’t motivated by a hatred of reality but just a more unhealthy sense-of-life. After all, the Fauvists and Expressionists were deeply influenced by him (Emil Nolde wanted to rename the artist group known as The Bridge to Van Gohana.) I’m not saying you should like them, but just try to engage with them and see if there is anything you like that you didn’t see at first glance.

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Yonatan Daon's avatar

Hey Ray, I did look at many of Gauguin's paintings and I couldn't find value in them. It may be different for you and that is totally fine. The Expressionists that came after Van Gogh explicitly placed their feelings over reality, and in the process distorted and ruined all remnents of reality in art. It also exists in Van Gogh, but as I indicated in my writing, there is something very different in Van Gogh's approach.

I also discussed this in this article about landscape: (which is less favorable towards Van Gogh) https://pint.substack.com/p/landscape

I do believe that Fauvism is much less worse than later Expressiniosm particularly German Expressionism such as Emil Nolde and die Brücke group.

Thanks for the comment!

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