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ICQ No. 5399378 Email
me!
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Sky-colored petals on brilliant green stalks and verdant leaves jutting upward herald the eyes as they relish the visual splendor of Vincent van Gogh's painting which hangs in our home's master's bedroom. The bright yellow background brightens up the mood, and at the same time provides a background for the contrasting hues on the piece's subject-violets in a vase. Inexperienced as I am in assessing visual art pieces, I am merely equipped with my eyes and their crude appreciation for the arts. These art-appreciating eyes, may I add, are connected to a brain, which, I confess, bears but a meager mind. Notwithstanding, I am defenseless in my task of evaluating that on the painting which strikes me, for I wouldn't want to risk 'gradelessness' for non-adherence. But in the process, I should say I found it quite interesting. And, yes, it was fun. Looking at the painting, I can't help but be more 'critical,' delving into those rough brushstrokes and brilliant colors, hoping to squeeze out a meaning or some profound insight into the mood and mind of the oeuvre and its creator. My brain was quite on the lookout for some 'ironies' or intriguing incoherence imprinted on the work. Luckily, it found two. The background, yellow, sunny and bright, tells of positivity. Likewise, it leads the eyes into a darker, somewhat contrasting hues of the subject-the violets in the vase (hence the title). This first irony, a contrast between the subject and its background, although technically can be explained as a mere 'contrast technique' to bring out the subject, is interpreted by my brain as a contrast between a happy world and a depressed individual. I think it brings out a depressing message (which, may I state, pervades throughout the painting) in that it shows that a subject (dark and twisted), is set against a sunny, happy environment. Focusing on the subject(s), my eyes wander around, noticing the rough, somewhat distorted azure corollas (petals) of the blossoms. Nonetheless, the arrangement appeared to be balanced and, well, perfect. Then in a sudden dive, my eyes find themselves resting on a fallen head of flowers lying on the ground (or a table). It is disturbing to find such nice arrangement of flowers ending on a fallen stalk, where several wilting flowers bow. Many may dismiss this as a mere attempt at realism (read, a 'photocopy' of the real subject), but looking at it more 'philosophically'-that is, in relation to the real world, I find myself arrested at the realization that something apparently perfect, something figuring so nice and well, with all the brightness and splendor, suddenly ended in a nosedive. This second irony, coupled with the blue pigment, injects more depression into the score. Clearly, my mind interprets things differently than others'. It is probably my depressed mood at the time of viewing that I got to figure the "ironies of depression" ingrained in the work. But even so, it is that insight that brought me into awe and reverence for the genius that is Vincent van Gogh. ¤ |
