Why Van Gogh is so Popular?
Vincent Van Gogh is often regarded as one of the greatest painters by art enthusiasts and critics, despite the fact that he did not receive much fame before his death. In fact, he had a massive influence during the eras of Post-Impressionism, Expressionism, Fauvism and Early Abstraction.
Even today, his exceptional works like The Starry Night, Sunflowers among others are deeply cherished in the community of art connoisseurs and sold for millions of dollars as valuable collectibles. Therefore, we’ve master-curated the reasons that shed light on the fact why Van Gogh and his incredible state-of-art paintings are still loved by avid art enthusiasts.
1. Display of a multi-school approach
Van Gogh did not begin his journey as an artist until well into his late-twenties. Moreover, most of his paintings were created in a mere decade, with a majority of his famous works being produced in the last two years before he committed suicide.
During this time, the art scene was in a state of constant transition from Realism, a period dedicated to representing subject matters truthfully to Post-Impressionism which focused on the naturalistic depiction of light and color. The focus then shifted towards Modern Art exploring the spirit of the experiment.
Furthermore, there were influences of short-lived movements like Pointillism, consisting of the usage of points to define art and Symbolism which dealt with abstract metaphorical ideas. Amidst all this, Van Gogh’s paintings displayed a certain sense of blend and balance which contributed to its growing popularity over the years.
2. Conveyance of novel interpretations
As per experts, the artist is the mirror that reflects the face of the universe. And Van Gogh is credited for portraying unique representations through his art. Not only did he display what was in front of him, but he also brought out a sense of feeling and connectivity through his paintings.
Even when he drew inspiration from the works of other artists, he infused subtle differences, like adopting a different color scheme. These gave an unmistakable impression of being a Van Gogh painting that gave him an edge over his contemporaries in terms of the selling ability of his art.
3. Being way ahead of his time
Even though Van Gogh was a renowned artist for merely a decade, he never shied away from creative experimentation. In his last five years as a painter, he created a niche of his own which was previously unexplored by the contemporaries of his time.
An excellent example of this is one of his most famous paintings, The Starry Night. Created from memory, this marvelous piece of art depicts the scenery outside Van Gogh’s room window in France. It demonstrates his avid interest in astronomy as the various celestial bodies in the painting are placed in the exact position that they occupied that clear night.
4. Varied sources of inspiration
Although Van Gogh was Dutch by birth, he drew inspiration from a variety of cultures apart from his native genre paintings. He was greatly influenced by the realist works of Millet and his contemporaries.
Furthermore, the traditional Japanese woodblocks prints had an impact on his paintings to the point wherein he attempted to create inspired imitations. However, even in these artworks, Van Gogh maintained his creatively expressive style. This facilitated the rise of his popularity among the Eastern audience interested in canvas reproductions.
5. The unusual choice of subjects
One of the most unconventional subjects which Van Gogh chose for his painting was himself. A relatively unknown artist at that time with limited financial resources, Van Gogh did not have money to pay for models. Hence, he painted self-portraits which went on to become one of his most renowned works.
Apart from this, he found his inspirations in the simplest subjects such as trees, fields, churches among other things which catered to a wider audience further increasing his admiration among artists and critics alike.
The Mad Artist
Through his magnificent works, Vincent Van Gogh had established himself as an institution in the field of art. Although he is often referred to as the ‘Mad Artist”, his impact continues to encourage aspiring artists to work on their craft and mesmerize the audience with their paintings.
However, getting hands-on authentic reproductions that do not compromise with the quality is a tricky task, especially if you are purchasing online. A good place to start this journey is by referring to Van Gogh’s work on the 1st Art Gallery. Providing a myriad range of options in canvas reproductions, starting from Irises to Blossoming Almond Trees, you can browse and curb your artistic curiosities.
