Interesting Art Stories 1. Portrait of Dr. Gachet

How are you?

From this week on every Thursday, I will introduce various artists and their paintings with the title “Interesting Art Stories”.

The first story for this week is "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh.

Vincent van Gogh is a Dutch painter who painted many worldwide famous paintings, and this painting is one of them. 

The painting depicts Dr. Paul Gachet, a homeopathic doctor and artist, who lived in Auvers-sur-Oise, where van Gogh resided after being released from an asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Dr. Gachet took care of van Gogh during the last months of his life. 

There are two versions of Dr. Gachet’s portrait painted by van Gogh in June 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise. In both versions, Dr. Gachet sits at the table, leaning his head on his right arm, but the colors and styles of the two versions are completely different.

When van Gogh's younger brother, Theo, was looking for a comfortable home for his brother who was released from the asylum, he found out that Dr. Gachet was interested in working with artists. So he sent van Gogh to Dr. Gachet.

At first, van Gogh didn’t like Dr. Gachet and wrote his thought to Theo in a letter. 

“I think we should not rely on Dr. Gachet at all. First of all, he is sicker than I am. For example, if one blind person leads another, don’t they both fall into a ditch? ”

Over the time, however, he became a fan of Dr. Gachet and after sending his first letter to Theo, he sent another letter to his sister, commending him. 

“I found true friendship in Dr. Gachet. Like brothers, we resemble each other physically and mentally. ”

As a result, van Gogh deepened his friendship with Dr. Gachet, and he painted the famous "Portrait of Dr. Gachet". 

After completing the painting, he told his brother, "Those who see it may frown, but I drew Dr. Gachet with a melancholy expression." 

The plant depicted in the painting is the foxglove, a type of the digitalis. 

This is a means of indicating that Gachet's job is a doctor and may also suggest that van Gogh himself was being treated with the foxglove.

Today, this painting is also one of the most expensive paintings of all time.

Thank you.

Korean Blog

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: 3. VINCENT VAN GOGH

Name: Vincent van Gogh
Born: 30 March 1853, Zundert, Netherlands

Died: 29 July 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, France

Active Years: 1880 - 1890

Nationality: Dutch

Art Movement: Post-Impressionism

Field: Painting, Drawing

Influenced by: Anton Mauve, Paul Gauguin, Jean-Francois Millet, Alfred Sisley

Friends/Colleagues: Paul Gauguin

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings.

The striking color, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms of his work greatly influenced the current of Expressionism in modern art. His art became popular after his death, especially in the late 20th century.

Van Gogh’s works include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits. However, he was not commercially successful and his suicide at 37 followed years of mental illness and poverty.

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Anton Mauve

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Currently, “J art”, an internet mall of “Art Collage JANG” is selling art prints of worldwide famous artists.

In relation with this sale, I will introduce one by one every week, whose art prints are on the sale list, by following categories.

1. Artist’s Bio: Introduce brief bio of selected artist

2. Famous Works: Move to the corresponding art print in J art by clicking

3. All Works List: Move to all works of selected artist in J art by clicking

4. Related Artists: Move to the works of the artists in J art, who are related to the selected artist.

5. All Artists List: Move to the list of all artists selling art prints in J art

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