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Section 4. Theory and History of Art
https://doi.org/10.29013/EJA-20-1-133-137
Vivian Li, Shanghai American School Shanghai, China E-mail: vivli8@hotmail.com
THE SHIFT IN CRITICAL RECEPTION ON VINCENT VAN GOGH'S ARTWORK AND HIS POSTHUMOUS FAME
Abstract. Today, Vincent Van Gogh is universally renowned as an artistic genius. As widespread as this acceptance has been, however, Van Gogh never lived to observe his own fame. During his time, he struggled to make a living through his art. Building on work that other scholars have done to explore the social and artistic barriers that denied him acceptance in his own day, this study follows a phenomenological method to explain why Van Gogh's paintings were initially rej ected but became increasingly recognized and praised over time. Vincent Van Gogh's posthumous fame demonstrates the artistic struggle and complications of evaluating artistic value. This paper recognizes and compares the differences in critical reception of Van Gogh's art, outlining current trends and portrayals of the artist's career while underlining the artist's long-lasting legacy and what it helps convey about the always-shifting art scene.
Keywords: posthumous fame, Vincent Van Gogh, Impressionism, Starry Night, critical reception.
Today, Vincent Van Gogh is universally re- Gogh's artworks and use this to explore the changes nowned as an artistic genius. After radically trans- in our artistic preferences and choices. forming the world with The Starry Night and Sunflow- During his lifetime, Van Gogh was considered ers, Van Gogh has become one of the most respected a failed artist with an unfulfilled artistic career. Aland widely appreciated artists of our time. However, though he produced a substantial body of work, hidden behind all of this fame is the short and tur- his paintings were sold as scraps for 5 cents at a bulent life of a failed artist. Van Gogh struggled to local Flea Market. He only sold one painting for make a living with his artistic career. Along with this, 400 francs four months before he died in 1890 he suffered from mental illness, which triggered him (Yu [13, 219]). To understand the lack of apprecia-to end his own life in 1890. Because his artistic style tion for Van Gogh's work, the first critical reviews grew in popularity shortly after his death, Van Gogh on Van Gogh are instrumental. In 1888, two years never experienced his own fame. Now, everyone has prior Van Gogh's death, Gustave Kahn, a French lit-either heard of or seen Van Gogh's art. This paper erary theorist and art critic, published the first lines will explore the reasons and factors behind the dras- about Van Gogh's work, writing, "Mr. Van Gogh tic changes in the critical reception of Vincent Van vigorously paints broad landscapes, without very
great care for the value or exactness of the tones. A multicolored multitude of books evolves towards a tapestry; such a motif, although suitable for a study, cannot afford the pretext for a painting" (Heinich et. Al [4]). The style he describes is one that is representative of the Neo-Impressionism movement that thrived in the late 19th century. In his review, Kahn pays attention to the techniques utilized by Van Gogh, describing them in a very ambivalent manner. In Kahn's estimation, the limitation and indeed the failure of Van Gogh's work stem from what will become one of its most highly prized attributes, namely, its lack of distinct lines. Simultaneously, Kahn objects to Van Gogh's choice of subject. Although suitable for a study, he says, Kahn does not believe that Van Gogh paints objects, people, or situations that are worthy of painting's high praise. As shown by Kahn's perspective, it was likely difficult for the public to accept Van Gogh's impressionist artistic style. Prior to Van Gogh's time, Impressionism had already been founded by a group of painters. This art scene was characterized by visible brush strokes and an open composition that highlighted subject matter that was crucial to the human experience. However, Van Gogh explored his own aesthetic ideas and incorporated them into Impressionism, focusing on "thought" and emotional expression. Because of the radical break that they set in motion, works like Picasso's were easier to comprehend and accept. Van Gogh's brush strokes were not only demonstrations of impressionistic artistic values but also his emotions.
In The Glory of Van Gogh: An Anthropology of Admiration, Nathalie Heinich underlines that the lack of appreciation for Van Gogh's works stems from incomprehension. For instance, in the book Souvenirs d'un Marchand de Tableaux, Ambroise Vollard, one of the most important art dealers in French contemporary art, depicts a story where an art lover was drawn to Van Gogh's Field of Red Poppies but ended up purchasing a work by Detaille for his daughter's dowry instead. Vollard writes in his book about an
enraged art dealer who was angered by the "nerve of some people" who had wanted to buy Joseph Bail's Cook by offering the dealer "a canvas by someone called Van Gogh, a landscape with, in the sky, a multicolored moon which looked like a spider's web" (Heinich [4]). At that time, Van Gogh's art had only succeeded in generating laughter if not anger. Very few people loved and praised Van Gogh as Vollard emphasizes the reservations on Van Gogh's work through presenting the words of other well-known artists, "It was even worse for Van Gogh [than for Cézanne]: the boldest could not manage to stomach his painting. How could anyone be surprised by the general public's resistance, the most liberated of artists, like Renoir and Cézanne, could be seen, one reproaching Van Gogh for his 'exoticism,' the other telling him: 'Quite honestly, your painting is mad!" (Heinich et. al [4]). Many people did not understand Van Gogh's work and were likely swayed by the commentary of influential artists who did not see the value in Van Gogh's pieces. However, contrary to what the angered art dealer thought about the landscape with the spider-weblike moon, in the contemporary world, this painting by Van Gogh (The Starry Night) is one of the most well-known and celebrated masterpieces, capturing Van Gogh's powerfully emotional style. The Starry Night is an oil painting depicting the landscape of a small town at night. Strong bold brushstrokes dance across the painting, in which colors and tones help define the form and movement of the night scene. A large glowing crescent moon hangs on the top right corner of the painting, surrounded by glowing orbs (the stars) and chromatic blue swirls (the blowing wind). The stars light up the night sky, moving with the rolling blue mountains that roil below. Beneath the captivating night sky, Van Gogh illustrates a village. The lines form small cottages and the delicate steeple of a church. Light shines through the windows of the houses, creating a cozy and welcoming feeling amidst the turbulence of the night sky. Towering in the foreground of the painting are two
cypress trees that are formed by dark intertwining brushstrokes with branches reaching up towards the night sky. The obscure painting captures a scenery that is not entirely accurate, informed by both Van Gogh's observations and his imagination.
Van Gogh painted the piece in 1889 during his 12-month stay at the Saint Paul de Mausole asylum near Saint-Remy, France. This was several months after Van Gogh had severed a part of his own ear with a razor - a clear sign that he was mentally unstable. During his stay, he painted in despair. As an artist who enjoyed working from observation, the isolation of the asylum limited his work to studies of subjects around him. However, this did not constrain him from continuing to explore his expressive art style. Van Gogh was not allowed to paint in his bedroom so he painted the scene from memory or possibly from sketches, using his imagination to create the small village that did not exist (Zelazko [14]). He employed his same artistic style but felt ambivalent about the piece. Eventually, Van Gogh considered the finished The Starry Night a failure.
Van Gogh's paintings were rejected by his contemporaries, partly because he lacked the required personal skills to ingratiate himself into artistic circles. His unconventional behavior and incompatible social skills emerged from his childhood experiences. Van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853. Speculation regarding his birth proposes that he may have been conceived to replace another child named Vincent who was stillborn a year prior. Van Gogh's sister described his behavior as "intensely serious and uncommunicative and [he] walked around clumsily and in a daze, with his head hung low... Not only were his little sisters and brothers like strangers to him, he was a stranger to himself" (Butterfield 1998). Psychoanalytic studies discovered a connection between Van Gogh's odd behavior as a child to his later mental illnesses and ultimate suicide. It is likely that the death of the child he "replaced" overshadowed his childhood experience (Yu [13, 222]). Due to his strange mannerisms, Van
Gogh was socially isolated. His paintings also reflect his odd personality as his works often include repulsive and dark subject matters. For instance, in a painting portraying a farmer attempting to clear wheat in an abundant field, Van Gogh wished to convey more about the worker and "sees in him the image of death, in the sense that humanity might be the wheat he is reaping ... but there's nothing sad in this death" (Yu [13, 224]). Van Gogh attempted to approach humanity and God in an unusual way that was not accepted by the community. In his own day, people viewed his paintings as insults towards the church and the Netherlands, although this was not his intention. He was abandoned by the art community, by the church, and by female companions because of his unorthodox behaviors, incompetence, and lack of social skills. All of these failures in Van Gogh's social life had a substantial effect on the reception of Van Gogh's artworks. People refused to understand or take time to observe anything that Van Gogh painted because they viewed Van Gogh as an isolated madman. Publicly understanding Van Gogh's art leads to self-disgrace and fear of being shamed or judged by others. Because Van Gogh was a social outcast, his work was devalued and therefore unappreciated.
The posthumous fame of Van Gogh says a lot about the true value of Van Gogh's career as an artist. Not only was his artwork recuperated; additionally, his life was itself viewed as the embodiment of artistic vocation. Van Gogh was an unorthodox artist with a difficult-to-understand personality. It is inspiring to consider how Van Gogh never stopped painting even though his work was unappreciated and unwanted. His life story is captured through his artwork, which was understood and appreciated only after he took his own life. The emotions conveyed through every single one of his brushstrokes pushed forward another era of artistic development. Vincent Van Gogh shaped the art world with the way he was able to transform people's views on his artwork and him as an artist.
The Starry Night was one ofVan Gogh's last works. A year after completing it, he committed suicide. In 1941, the Museum ofModern Art (MoMA) in New York City purchased The Starry Night from a private collector, when the piece was not well-known. But since the exhibiting of the work, it has become Van Gogh's most famous work and one of the most iconic art pieces of all of art history. With his posthumous fame, he has become a loved and highly established artist because of his unique art style and emotional backstory. Now we see the heavy commercialization of Van Gogh's works, from being printed on clothing, shoes, mugs, electronic cases, rugs, etc. Vincent Van Gogh's work can be seen everywhere, generating the concern that whether Van Gogh has become a pop-culture cliché and if this is an insult to the human struggle in his original works.
In 2017, an animated feature movie of the artist called Loving Vincent was released. The film consists entirely of animated oil paintings that imitate Van Gogh's artistic style. Some argue that the movie is trite and misleading, including false and made-up information and fictionalized accounts of the artist. Secondly, critics find the film unappealing because of its gimmick technique that overlooks Van Gogh's artistic development. Jonathan Jones, a journalist for The Guardian, writes that Van Gogh did not paint in the simplistic "Van Gogh style" the film follows. His art was always evolving and his art was reborn every time he stood before an empty canvas. Jones argues that the film turned Van Gogh's artistic struggle into a clichéd style that makes the viewer lose touch with the true power ofVan Gogh's art. Furthermore, Jones writes that "Van Gogh has been so comprehensively assimilated into modern culture that he needs to become less, not more, popular." He believes that we need to look further into the man's true story, behind
his myths, and spend time observing his real paintings. Jones reinforces that Loving Vincent is just "an even more nebulous pop version of Vincent to feed our laziness."
It is interesting to note the complete change in our perception of Van Gogh's art, transforming him from an unappreciated artist to one that is massively commercialized to the point where people suggest that he needs to become "less popular." The significant changes in the viewers' critical reception of Van Gogh portray the constantly shifting art scene and our perpetually changing definitions of "good" art. In the art world, it is easy to be criticized or dismissed because of the difficulty that comes with accepting the "new." When something unprecedented occurs or arises, responses are always divided. The trajectory of Van Gogh's story demonstrates the human propensity to accept and praise the familiar and reject the anomalous. But when something receives wide approval, popular opinion can, in effect, outpace critical appreciation, to the point that acceptance itself can become the measure of greatness. Vincent Van Gogh's posthumous fame demonstrates the artistic struggle and complications of evaluating artistic value. His posthumous fame can be explained by several personal factors, but its roots are in our habitual and difficult-to- assimilate human tendencies. It is difficult to find a life story as unique as Van Gogh's. Now, people are more accepting of new art forms and approaches. Society is becoming more progressive, allowing for the creative minds of writers, artists, inventors to be freed and flourish. Because ofVincent Van Gogh, we have learned to appreciate unorthodox art and be empathetic towards the struggles of creators. As the art scene continues to twist and turn in new directions, his art and legacy will forever cast an imposing shadow.
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