Exploring Van Gogh
Rabbit Holes, Colour & Joy

Many people didn't like Vincent van Gogh, or his work, and sadly he knew it. 

It's a cruel irony that today it couldn't be more different, and terribly sad that he could never know it. 

Van Gogh may not have painted many animals, but luckily he did create this golden beauty featuring rabbits - perfect when we find ourselves diving down research rabbit holes!

Rabbit Holes & Uncovering Hidden Gems

I don't get far when reading books about Van Gogh.  There's usually something that stops me and leads me to go look something up and before you know it you're down a rabbit hole.  There's plenty of them too, since all kinds of people, across decades, are fascinated by Vincent's life and all have their views and opinions, expert or otherwise on what his personal issues were, what his paintings meant, and even whether he really did end his own life or something more sinister. 

An Enthusiast’s Journey

Why, why, why?  What is it that draws so many people to the work of this hugely famous artist who was shunned and largely unrecognised as an artist in his lifetime? 

I started to notice just how much Van Gogh’s life, his quotes, and his paintings were affecting me, often in surprising ways. Some aspects of his story resonate deeply, stirring emotions I didn’t expect, while his colours and brushwork create such a visceral reaction that it sometimes feels like they literally take my breath away.

Over time I realised the colours and paintings were good for me - an aesthetic pleasure - so I decided to immerse myself in the colourful world of Van Gogh for maximum benefit!

An Immersive Experience, at Home

Our room, recreated in its Van Gogh-inspired colour scheme by a Sims gamer when we'd just gone wheatfield yellow.

As I look at his work on my walls over and over again, I try to nail down the 'why'. 

It's not just the colour, because other colourful works don't have the same effect, but it's a major factor because his earlier paintings don't have such an impact on me (except the pen and ink landscapes, which are rather growing on me!).

I have never, ever been one to say that yellow was a colour I liked, I was always a green and blue girl, but after receiving The Joy of Nature in which David Hockney explores the parallels with Van Gogh's work, I had such a strong reaction to the yellow in there that I realised I needed more of it! 

I now have my own "yellow house", but on the inside rather than Van Gogh's yellow house on the outside.

Close-ups of Van Gogh's brushstrokes are a huge part of the appeal

So I think it's the evolving style and 'movement' in his later, colourful paintings; those brushstrokes, the texture of the paint and the canvas peeking through.

You can see how a picture was painted and layered up, you can sense the breeze in the trees and fields as the visibly thick, stubby strokes let you imagine the speed at which paintings were created, and makes you wonder if it was a reflection of his emotion and state of mind, which of course many people have speculated on. 

Combine all this visual energy with his life story, which we know so much about because of his letters, and the relationship between him and Theo, right up to the end, and it just makes everything all the more tragic. 

I barely remember that he is "the artist who cut off his ear" or ended his own life, but that's all he is to some; the answer to a pub quiz question - I'm much more interested in the rest of his life.

I'm sure that all of this combined is what makes Van Gogh such a source of admiration and inspiration for other people too, these days at least. 

The Aesthetics: "Van Gogh Everything!"

A gorgeous Van Gogh diary with Sunflowers

As well as being fascinated by his story, I love to surround myself with his colours and paintings after realising they make me feel good. 

I do have my fair share of Van Gogh merch, but there are just some things that have been Van Gogh'ed that make me smile, and seem to have been for the sole reason that if you "Van Gogh" something it will no doubt appeal to at least some of the vast numbers of fans all over the world - Starry Night food blender 'dust cover' anyone? 

So I don't just enjoy going down rabbit holes and exploring everything, but I also like finding the wide variety of merch because it would appear you can Van Gogh anything and Everything!

Artistic Alchemy: New from Old

New from old: social media is full of new arty remixes and breathtaking animations, all derived from original paintings, with the rise in generative AI.

I love how people creatively remix Van Gogh's work in countless ways to produce new art, crafts and spin-offs - cat themes are a favourite - as well as shoes, clothing and makeup!

Of course, now AI has made this even easier, but even the onslaught of AI-generated art can still produce a brain-buzzing feeling of "wow" as it mimics Van Gogh's style and brushstrokes. 

I particularly love the animated paintings, created by anyone with a phone - imagine how Vincent would react seeing his work brought to life - and before all that magic was the absolute masterpiece that is "Loving Vincent" bursting with glorious movement and colour, delighting the viewer for an entire movie!

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