𝕋he Van Gogh Museum is home to the world's largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh and an essential stop for any visitor to Amsterdam. My wife and I are so fascinated with Van Gogh. A wall in our living room hanged two Van Gogh painting reproductions we bought in a Estate Sale in Texas more than 20 years ago. Visiting the Van Gogh Museum was a dream come true for both of us. Van Gogh is still very much alive in our visual culture. He is one of the best known and most celebrated artists in the world.
The museum features many of the artist’s best works of art alongside an excellent biography of his life. The story of his art is told throughout the galleries. It is narrated painting by painting in chronological order which enables visitors to discover this brilliant painter’s artistic and life-long development from painting rural landscapes until his haunting works at the end of his life. It was't allowed to film or take picture of artwork in the exhibition area. It was only permitted in designated areas. Our photos below were taken in the entrance hall and the so-called selfie-walls.
"𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓋𝒶𝓈𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝒹𝓈." -Vincent van Gogh
Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, 1887
This is one of Van Gogh’s many self-portraits or we call it nowadays selfies. This is the selfie back in the day. It took him months to make one. When we look at Van Gogh’s self-portraits, so often we are hoping to get an insight into his personality and thoughts. This is because most of us are as fascinated by his extraordinary life as his amazing art.
Why did Van Gogh made so many self-portrait?
He made a total of 35. Unable to afford models, he turned to his mirror to practice his skills painting portraits. See some of his self-portraits here.
This is one of the most famous versions of Sunflowers. Van Gogh painted 5 different versions of sunflowers in a vase. The sunflower paintings had a meaning for him. He wrote that they were an expression of his gratitude. His intention was to make art that offers solace to troubled hearts. After he died, friends brought sunflowers with them to his funeral. Sunflowers became synonymous with Van Gogh, just as he had hoped. Read more here.
Large blossom branches like this against a blue sky were one of Van Gogh’s favorite subjects. The painting was a gift for Vincent’s newborn nephew. The boy was born in 1890 and named after him. Read more here.
In May 1888, Van Gogh rented four rooms in a house on Place Lamartine in Arles, France. The green shutters in this painting of the square show where he lived. Read more here.
While he was in Arles, Van Gogh made this painting of his bedroom in the Yellow House. He prepared the room himself with simple furniture and with his own work on the wall. The bright colors were meant to express absolute ‘repose’ or ‘sleep’. Read more here.
Self-Portrait as a Painter, 1888
Van Gogh presented himself in this self-portrait as a painter. He showed that he was a modern artist by using a new painting style, with bright, almost unblended colors. This was his final self-portrait.
Watch the video below to step into Van Gogh's world.
The life of Vincent van Gogh was sad and tragic. Two months after a couple of years confinement at the asylum, he took his life from what is believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound. During his brief career, he did not experience much success, he sold only one painting, lived in poverty and suffered mental illness. The money he had was provided by his brother, Theo, and was used primarily for art supplies, coffee and cigarettes. Van Gogh might have been on the verge of success and may have killed himself at the very moment he was going to become what he had always wanted.
"𝐼 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝐼 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂." -Vincent van Gogh
In spite of his lack of success during his lifetime, Van Gogh’s legacy lives on having left a lasting impact on the world of art. He is now viewed as one of the most influential artists having helped lay the foundations of modern art. He is one of the planet’s best-known and most celebrated artists. Learn about his life, read his letters, or explore his paintings and drawings. If you plan a visit to his museum, book tickets here.
Vincent Van Gogh's Biography: Timeline
Visit the museum's official web page here.
Click on links below to read more:
𝑳𝒂 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒂 𝑨𝒛𝒖𝒍: The 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮 𝗞𝗮𝗵𝗹𝗼 Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Museo Nacional de Antropología
