Vincent Willem Van Gogh

Art is as fascinating today as it has been decades ago. The appreciation of good artwork can transcend generations. Te keen eye will capture a message that a painter was sending through his artwork many years after a piece is painted. Different painting techniques define the many different painters who have shaped our modern understanding and appreciation for exceptional paintings. There is an exclusive club for art collectors which holds the pieces of art that have revolutionized art in modern times.

Born Vincent Willem Van Gogh in The Netherlands in 1853, Van Gogh loved art from an early age. He is said to have loved drawing as a child and this may have been his inspiration to become a painter. His artistic drawing abilities were not put to us till his late twenties, when he is believed to have created all of his art collection. This includes over 2100 pieces of art varying from watercolors, oil paintings, prints and sketches. These pieces are also diverse in their themes and focal focus. They include self portraits, still life paintings, and tree paintings, adverse fields especially of wheat, sunflowers and landscapes. Van Gogh’s work is treasured especially since his correspondence with his brother through letters was discovered. That is when people got to know that he depended on the paints and brushes his brother brought to him in exchange for his paintings. He would come up with a painting in order to give to his brother to broker to the art market in return for new paints, canvas and brushes. At that time, he had not made a sale and as such Van Gogh seemingly painted a new painting on top of another painting. This had gone unnoticed all this time until the x-rays were taken.

“The Ravine’’ is an exceptional piece of art done by an exceptional painter from another decade but which has become a celebration of art in recent times, since it was discovered. The “Wild vegetation” is an art masterpiece that has been lying hidden behind another piece of work for the longest time. It was an exciting discovery since all the while there had been rumors that Van Gogh used to paint some of his works over other works.

“The Ravine” is a master piece that keeps astonishing art critics today. The brush strokes are clearly visible suggesting that there was a deliberate use of a thick brush. This leaves clear brush stroke movements. The lines are clear between the brush strokes suggesting that the painter used a thick paint to create the painting. Thick paint often gives the impression of a painting as being loud and inviting at the same time. The use of long strokes together with thick paint brings out a fine yet exaggerated emotion to the painting. This suggests it was a painting from memory and not an abstract. The painting is full of vibrant color which is also eye catching in the way it is spread. The bright colors accentuate the darker shades of grey and brown used in the depiction of the ravine. At first glance, the painting looks more abstract and one can get the direction the painter was going. The bright colors depict a blossoming carpet of flowers which at the same time, is not too overbearing. The title of the painting is straight forward and an observer can see the ravine clearly.

Any art enthusiast can easily identify Van Gogh’s art from the rich colors he used in his paintings and the bold strokes of the brush he made that brought life on to the canvas. His work continued to grow brighter and richer in the choice of colors he used. ‘The Ravine’ is a gem since it has held his secret of “The Wild Vegetation” all this years. It is a wonder that even today, more than a century after his death; we can still discover something in his paintings to fascinate us.