Since its March and we’re preparing to celebrate the 163rd birthday of our favorite post-Impressionist painter (who was born on the 30th of March), I was thinking I’d write another entry in our series: Traveling in search of your heroes: Vincent van Gogh.
He sold only one painting throughout his life. Today, he is one of the most beloved and popular painters and his works are sold for millions of dollars. He is widely regarded as the greatest Dutch painter, only disputing this title with the great Rembrandt.
Vincent van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, a small town in the Netherlands, in 1853, to a rather austere priest father and a moody artistic mother. He had a melancholy temper from an early age and would later in life be seized by depression and ultimately commit suicide.
But what matters is his outstanding work: his vivid, personal paintings, bursting with color and intensity. Some of his most important works include self-portraits, “Starry starry night” and “Bedroom in Arles”.
And indeed Arles is the place van Gogh spent his final years. His work attained maturity here, his greatest works were painted in the small yellow house here, although his days were not always happy in this beautiful French town.
So where do we “chase” van Gogh’s work? In Paris, at the Musee d’Orsay, there are a couple dozens paintings by the beloved Dutch artist. In Arles, nearby, you can visit the beautiful Romanesque old town that inspired so much of his work. (As a parentheses, if you need a ride, Paris transfers can transport you carefree throughout France).
Many of Vincent’s paintings can also be found at the Amsterdam van Gogh Museum. If you hire a car from Schiphol car rental, you can drive throughout the Netherlands, “finding” Vinceny van Gogh and discovering his life and work. I’ve found myself in front of his paintings once and felt I was in the presence of greatness. I wish you can experience this too!
