Exploring Vincent van Gogh’s Techniques and Processes

Most people characterize Vincent van Gogh’s work for its bold, swirling strokes. But he was much more dynamic than just that. I have spent the last few weeks looking over his entire portfolio, including over 800 paintings, to get a feel for how he painted and his preferred techniques and processes. Here are my findings. … Read more

A Closer Look at Interior of a Restaurant by Vincent van Gogh

I was introduced to a new painting by Vincent van Gogh the other day, Interior of a Restaurant. I’m surprised that I’m still seeing van Gogh paintings for the first time, especially considering I’ve been writing about art for over seven years now. He may have lived a relatively short and turbulent life, but it … Read more

A Closer Look at Vincent van Gogh’s Grass and Butterflies

Let’s take a closer look at Vincent van Gogh’s Grass and Butterflies. I’m always impressed at how well van Gogh was able to inject life into even the most simple subjects. There’s a sense of movement and activity about it. I’ll cover: Vibrating Colors The painting features a vibration of broken color. Van Gogh wove … Read more

A Closer Look at Vincent van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night

Let’s take a look at Vincent van Gogh’s iconic Café Terrace at Night. I’ll cover: Van Gogh describes it well: “On the terrace, there are little figures of people drinking. A huge yellow lantern lights the terrace, the façade, the pavement, and even projects light over the cobblestones of the street, which takes on a violet-pink … Read more

A Closer Look at Bedroom in Arles by Vincent van Gogh

In this post, I take a closer look at Bedroom in Arles by Vincent van Gogh-a colorful depiction of his bedroom, with an awkward perspective and the typical van Gogh style. I cover: Key Facts Here are some of the key facts about the painting: It depicts van Gogh’s bedroom at 2 Place Lamartine in Arles, … Read more

Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers

In this post, I take a closer look at Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers series which he painted in Paris and Arles. The series highlights van Gogh’s progression in color and style. It also provides some interesting links between van Gogh and another famous artist, Paul Gauguin. In this post, I cover: Key Facts and Ideas Below … Read more

A Closer Look at “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh

In this post, I will be taking a closer look at “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, which he painted in 1889. With swirling lines and dramatic colors, this dreamy depiction is one of van Gogh’s most iconic works.  “I don’t know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.” Vincent van Gogh … Read more

Using Google Arts & Culture To See The Master Paintings Up Close

Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online initiative that provides public access to extremely high-resolution photos of artworks and cultural objects. The initiative has partnered with many museums to provide intimate access to some of the most famous paintings in history. Below are some of my favorite master paintings up close. The first … Read more

11 Interesting Facts About Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh has got to be one of the most interesting artists of history. He is one of the most famous artists in history, yet during his lifetime he was hardly known and suffered financial hardship. I wonder how he would feel about his post-mortem fame? Despite his current fame, many people do not know … Read more

How the Impressionists Used Complementary Colors to Great Effect

Complementary colors are basically colors that are on directly opposite sides of the color wheel. So blue is a complement of orange, red is a complement of green, yellow is a complement of violet and so on. Complementary colors provide striking visual effects when paired together. Claude Monet said this about complementary colors in 1888: … Read more