Art Snap is back! Welcoming spring with Van Gogh’s “Irises”:
1. Career path: Like most Millennials, Van Gogh was on the elusive search for work that is meaningful and useful – he explored being a preacher, teacher and art dealer. “Drawn to these vocations by his desire for a life bothspiritually fulfilling and socially useful, Van Gogh determined that art alone could provide access to the ideal world he sought” (Janson 912).
2. Color & energy: This painting has characteristics Van Gogh (and Post-Impressionism) is famous for: Bold colors and rough, messy brushstrokes capture the flowers’ vibrant colors and energy. The cutoff angle reflects his love of Japanese prints that were popular at a time and also images of balance and utopia. Closer look: As in nature, no two flowers are exactly the same
3. So now what: Inspired by the garden of the asylum where he checked himself in, it became among the most expensive paintings in the world, sold for $53.9 MM (now worth $105.4 MM). If you’re ever in LA, check it out at the Getty.
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