Mayra Maradiaga

ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History

Term Paper

The Post-impressionism movement came in the late nineteenth century, when people
started to believe that that impressionists were serious artists, yet werent as controversial as they
once were. Some artists wanted to distance themselves from the simple and unfinished
impressionist art and desired to gain an independent artistic style and focus on deeper themes and
symbolism. Post-impressionism was introduced by Roger Fry, an English art critic and artist. Fry
became aware of many up and coming artists in the early 1900s. He was impressed by the way
their art took aspects of the previous Impressionists artists and exaggerated it. In London in
1910, Fry held and exhibition at the Grafton Gallery named Manet and the Post
Impressionists. With a well-known name as Manet connected to new, younger artists whose
work was not well known as of yet, Fry believed the show would sound more appealing to an
audience. The exhibition ran from November 8, 1910 through January 15, 1911. According to
Beth Gersh Nesics article on Post impressionism, The exhibition included the painters
Vincent van Gogh, Paul Czanne, Paul Gauguin, George Seurat, Andr Derain, Maurice de
Vlaminck and Othon Friesz, plus the sculptor Aristide Maillol.
Post Impressionists wanted their painting to be symbolic and have deeper meanings
than the impressionists that came before them. One key factor of the post impressionism
movement was the exaggeration of the simple aspects of impressionist art, such as light and
color. But what more important for the novel artists of the mid-1800s to early 1900s that fell
under this movement was seeking inside themselves for the content of their paintings, instead of
just using the outside world and what they observed. Post impressionists also used more defined
patterns and forms in their art, trying to form structure within their art. Paris was the basis of the
movement, even though the city and scenery was not the basis of the art the way it was for the
Mayra Maradiaga
ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History
Term Paper

previous era of painters. Even though many of the new artists were being clumped together as
being Post impressionists, many worked on their own, wanting to create individual styles. It is
known that many of the post impressionists didnt even like each other or their work.
One the post impressionism movements artist was a Dutch man named Vincent Van
Gogh. Born on March 30, 1853 in Groot Zundert, Netherlands, Van Gogh is known for his
emotional artwork, which clearly portrays the tortured state this popular artist was in during the
years he worked. As the son of a Protestant pastor and eldest of six children, Van Gogh is cited
as being a reserved and quiet child who loved to observe nature. At the age of 16, Vincent Van
Gogh entered an art dealing firm that his uncle was a partner of. He stayed with Groupil and
Company for six years. Van Gogh was transferred to London and then Paris. Though he didnt
really like art dealing, being around the paintings of such artists as Rembrandt and other Dutch
painters, he was more inclined to the idea of painting. The works of French painters Jean
Francois Millet and Camille Corot were the ones that influenced Van Gogh the rest of his life.
During the time he was between London and Paris, Van Gogh fell in love with a London girl
who rejected him. From then on, Van Gogh became irritable and depressed. Eventually, he left
Groupil and Company and turned to God. Van Gogh had believed he had a religious calling and
decided to pursue life in the clergy and doing missionary work. When Van Gogh gave away all
his belongings and clothes to the poor, the church dismissed him for, according the Encyclopedia
Britannica, a too-literal interpretation of Christian teaching. This crisis in his life led him to a
deeper depression. From it, he started to draw seriously for the first time in 1880. Thinking
before that his mission in life was a religious purpose, at this point in time he realized his love
and talent for art, and decided to bring relief to humanity through his art. Throughout his life he
Mayra Maradiaga
ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History
Term Paper

wrote letters to his brother Theo, many that showed his true despair and depression alongside his
art. He wrote to his brother: I want to give the wretched a brotherly message. When I sign [my
paintings] Vincent, it is as one of them.
During the first four years of the time when he began painting, he dedicated himself to
teaching himself technique. Because of this he locked himself away. But he soon realized that
self-training was difficult, so he went on to seek guidance from other artists. In late 1881, he
studied and worked with Dutch landscape artist Anton Mauve. Van Gogh visited museums and
met other artists. At first, Van Gogh limited himself to just drawings and watercolors. Eventually
he expanded to oil paintings in mid-1882. Van Goghs subjects for his paintings were mainly the
poor, peasants and miners. Van Goghs first major work, The Potato Eaters, was completed
when he was 32 years old. He continued to meet and study under various painters, as well as just
learning technique by looking at others work. While in Paris, Van Gogh was introduced to many
Impressionist painters, though he didnt follow in their footsteps. He used colors and brush
strokes in his paintings that those of the movement before hadnt used. Works such as Portrait of
Pre Tanguy and Self-Portrait in Front of an Easel really showed his Post Impressionism
artistic style.
After a while, Van Gogh grew tired of the Paris city life and wanted to look at nature
under a brighter sky. He moved to southern France where most of the paintings he did were
landscapes, self-portraits and portraits of friends. During his time in the south of France, Van
Gogh was able to take traditional techniques and exaggerate them and make them completely his
own, for instance with heightened color and brushstrokes. Van Gogh was known to have worked
fast and intense, always putting into his paintings what he felt at the moment. In a letter he wrote
Mayra Maradiaga
ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History
Term Paper

to his brother Theo, Van Gogh stated that When anyone says that such and such [painting] is
done too quickly, you can reply that they have looked at it too fast
Vincent Van Gogh wanted to create his own Impressionist group with artist he had
studied with and whom he respected. But relationships didnt hold up and the artists had different
views. In probably a situation the made Van Gogh more famous and notable other than his
paintings, it is known that one day while he was physically and emotionally exhausted, Van
Gogh snapped, argued with another artist and cut off the lower half of his own ear. From this
incident came the painting called Self Portrait with Pipe and Bandaged Ear, as well as other
works. In the weeks following the incident, Van Gogh showed several signs of mental instability.
Not wanting to lose his capability to work, Van Gogh voluntarily committed himself to Saint
Remy, a psychiatric institution. His time there proved to be productive, where he made over 100
paintings. Among these is arguably his most famous painting Starry Night.
In the letter Van Gogh wrote throughout his life to his brother Theo, he mentions the stars
and the night sky and how much he wanted to paint them. Unlike the other works that Van Gogh
painted during his stay at the psychiatric institution, Starry Night was not a landscape painting.
Instead, he painted the iconic work by memory during the day of the view outside of his room.
Van Gogh is known for capturing his emotional state of mind and intensity on the canvas
he is working on. Starry Night is the epitome of this aspect of Van Gogh as a painter. This
painting is not a literal representation of the landscape outside. Instead it is apparent that it is Van
Goghs feelings of not only the sky, but the universe. When seeing this painting, ease sooths and
takes over the audience. When I see this painting, I feel like the world is so much bigger than I
once thought, portrayed in such a small space. The swirling of the sky and large size of the stars
Mayra Maradiaga
ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History
Term Paper

give me the sense that we the people are not as important as we think we are. Nature over powers
us in this painting, as it is in much larger scale than the city below. And even though the thought
that we are much less significant that we think we are would be a frightening one, when seeing
this painting it actually makes me welcome that idea, because Van Gogh managed to make
nature seem more beautiful than it already is. Seeing this painting makes me feel more
comfortable than others because it is a scene that is relevant to me. Nature is everywhere. I dont
know many people that dont like to go out and see a landscape, whether it be during the day or
at night. When we go see the stars at night, they arent as prominent as Van Gogh makes them
seem. We see little specs of light in the sky. Van Gogh saw large masses of light that illuminate
our lives and we dont even realize it. The swirling sky keeps the audiences eyes moving
throughout the painting, eventually landing on the city below the hills. The city looks peaceful
and remote. In this day and age with all the buildings and city lights around us, we dont get to
look up and see the stars the way they were meant to be seen. When seeing this painting, it
makes me want to get away from all the stress of urban society to just be able to take in nature
and its beauty. The church in the middle of the city maybe expresses Van Goghs longing of his
old thought of what his mission in life was. To me it is a representation of following what you
believe and completing the mission you think you were given in life. To left of the painting is a
large tree, also overpowering the small town below. When I see that, I always feel that it there
are much bigger things in life than money and power, and we must take the time to stop and
appreciate was is really grand and important, rather than take advantage of it. When seeing this
painting, the intensity and passion Van Gogh had for his work radiated through it to me, through
the brushstrokes he used. The dark colors to Van Gogh might have been a representation of his
depression, but to me it gives a peaceful mindset and the urge to just relax.
Mayra Maradiaga
ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History
Term Paper

Once let out of Saint Remy, Van Gogh continued working. He eventually moved back
to Paris and worked alongside other artists. His technique deepened and matured. His intensity
and passion was still visible, even more so now, in his brushstrokes and color decisions. But Van
Gogh never stopped feeling lonely and thought he was never going to be mentally stable enough
to be as good at painting as he wanted to be. Vincent Van Gogh shot himself, didnt die
immediately, but deceased two days later on July 29, 1890. His grave is alongside his brothers
with identical tombstones.
Though Van Gogh only sold one painting in his time as a painter and wasnt well known
when he was around, he became one of the most famous artists of all time. His work is displayed
all around the world, for instance Starry Night is displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New
York. Though he was a depressed and mentally unstable man while alive and believed that he
wasnt a great painter, if he were alive today and knew how much his work influenced artists
after him and moved the audience that saw them, his self-confidence would be as big as the stars
in his most famous work.






Mayra Maradiaga
ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History
Term Paper

Works Cited
"Famous Paintings: The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh." About.com Painting. N.p., n.d.
Web. 21 Apr.2013.
Gersh - Nesic, Beth. "Post-Impressionism - Art History 101 Basics." About.com Art History.
N.p., n.d.Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Kleiner, Fred S. "Chapter 23: Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Symbolism." Gardner's Art
Through The Ages. 14th ed. Vol. 2. N.p.: Clark Baxter, n.d. 700-03. Print. Western
Perspective.
"Roger Fry." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia
Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"The Art Story: Post-Impressionism Movement." The Art Story: Post-Impressionism
Movement.N.p., n.d.Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"The Art Story.org - Your Guide to Modern Art." Vincent Van Gogh Biography, Art, and
Analysis of Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Vincent van Gogh." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia
Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/237118/Vincent-van-Gogh>.
Mayra Maradiaga
ART 103: Renaissance Through Modern Art History
Term Paper

"Vincent Van Gogh." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 21 Apr. 2013
<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
"Vincent Van Gogh: Starry Night." Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/221169/RogerFry>.