formeformeformeforme
Meadowless
memento for someone else because I think I should. I think, "Oh, so and so will
really like this and appreciate it, blah, blah, blah." Truth is, most never
appreciate it enough to return the favor. So today, I saw a Van Gogh exhibit
and bought two mid-sized landscape prints along with a couple of still life
postcards I thought I might frame. Not terribly expensive, but all for me!
--
Amid the madness, there are moments in life when I am content.
Meadowless
wrote:
>
>x-no-archive: yes
I have to admit, I'm a little curious as to why you wanted *this*
x-no-archived?
>You know, I've always wanted a Van Gogh print or two, and heaven knows if
>I'll
>get a chance to go down to DC.
Well, during my weekend visit, there was at least one scalper on hand. But I'm
sure the exhibit doesn't end here.
>Van Gogh is one of my favorite painters.
Perhaps then you can fill me in on something. Until now, I've only ever seen a
few of his iris paintings and one self-portrait. What interests me is what is
known to be fact about his mental state. I heard some commentary at the
exhibit, people talking about mania, about his painting self-portraits in some
frenzied state, plagued by depression. I'm not sure I buy into it. For one
thing, his self-portraits seemed, as much as anything he did, to be attempts at
varying his overall style, brush stroke, and use of color. There is also
mention that at the time he did so many self-portraits he couldn't afford
models.
In the exhibit, they [audio narrator] indicated that, at some point, Van Gogh
began to suffer from epilepsy and was distressed by it, though they didn't
elaborate as to why, i.e., whether it was because epilepsy was misunderstood at
the time. They also say he began to feel as though he'd become a burden to
people. And at one point he is quoted as saying something about a painting he
began in the month of July but didn't finish until September. Upon finishing
the painting, he had written to his brother, Theo, that he felt clear headed
and that, from looking at his painting, you'd never know he'd had such a
problem the month before. Anyway, this roundabout is my way of asking how much
of his problems are _known_ to be emotional. And was he really plagued by them
for a long period before his suicide?
I get really tired of the subjectivity people impose on artists. For example,
there's one painting in the exhibit of an Indonesian bat. In the audio tour,
the narrator speculates that Van Gogh probably saw the bat in a museum. Fair
enough. But then, the narrator goes on to suggest that perhaps Van Gogh's
presentation of the bat--its outspread wings take on fiery hues--is due to his
being influenced by Edgar Allan Poe. The only support given for the claim,
however, is the narrator's reference to Poe as someone "we know Van Gogh read
and liked." Seemed to me a bit of a stretch.
>Usually reproductions never do much for me compared to the real thing, but Van
Gogh
>is
>the exception to the rule.
Actually, the reproductions don't do his work justice at all. But then, what
can one expect at a commodity price of $5 to $15? Some people won't buy
anything that isn't original, but they're usually collectors hoping to hang
onto something until it's of significant value. If I had that kind of money, I
might do the same. But since I don't, I just buy what I know I'll enjoy looking
at again and again.
I really get a lot out of them, especially the
>landscapes.
Well, I can't argue there, except to say that his still lifes are equally
amazing. So is his portraiture, really. I just have trouble relating to unknown
faces and conveyed messages I think were rather unique to Van Gogh.
>Possessions are a source of angst, aren't they? People ought to consider
>what
>will give them the most satisfaction in the long run, merely having things or
>the
>knowledge of having brightened the lives of others by, say, _giving them
>away_.
>Everyone gets tired of their own stuff extremely quickly, but memories of
>being
>generous are lifelong. If you want to discuss this further, please let me
>know.
I'm not sure what else I could say about it except that I lean toward being
very selfish these days, which is something you're not exactly making a claim
in favor of. Fact is, I used to love going out and buying things that I felt
were representative of an individual, or at least things that were sure to mean
something to them. But I so rarely received a gift in return that was
representative of me or my interests, that I began to resent it. It's sad,
because I don't really enjoy holidays and gift-giving that much anymore, even
when it comes to family. I'm just tired of spending time and hard-earned money
on people who don't give the same thought and money to what they're giving in
return. IOW, this year, I'll be giving out lots of baked goods.
Now before anyone points a finger and says that my expectations are a little
high dollar-wise, one of the few times I was ever surprised with something I
considered wonderful was when I was in 8th grade and a classmate I exchanged
gifts with gave me an inexpensive but "real-life" photo of Elton John, whom I
adored at the time. We exchanged gifts at school and I skipped all the way home
and was on a high for at least a week! So no, it's not just about money. It's
more the thought, or lack thereof.