Although almost unnoticeable, van Gogh was a self-taught artist. When he first started, he learned by copying prints and reading books about art. Through his persistence and constant practice, he began to improve by first learning to work with only black and white. Other than this, he also put his energy into understanding the way form works and how to illustrate landscapes with precise and accurate perspectives. Only after mastering these techniques did he begin experimenting and exploring how to add color to his work. With familiarity with all these basics, he brought out his unique style that people have come to recognize so well.
Post-Impressionism
Before post-impressionism, there was a movement in art called impressionism which depicted beautiful landscapes and pictures of everyday life. Which focused on capturing leisure and relaxation. Moreover, this style emphasizes the importance of portraying and capturing elements that would constantly change such as atmosphere, movement, and light. However, artists like van Gogh moved against this idea and instead pioneered a new style that focused on illustrating scenes with better structure, order, and symbolism. Furthermore, post-impressionists thought that color and form should be free of each other to lead those looking at their work into a more vulnerable state of mind.
Inspiration
It goes without saying that van Gogh has encouraged artists worldwide to pick up art professionally or just as a hobby on the side. It isn’t hard to find works of art that mimic the style that van Gogh is recognized for. And other than his influence on post-impressionism, he was also able to be one of the catalysts for expressionism, another movement that focuses on highlighting the emotional depth one painting can convey to its audience. Van Gogh’s impact on the world of art does not end there as he is also credited for influencing fauvism, where it was common to use vibrant colors and combinations of these colors. And similarly to expressionism, there was also a focus on a display of emotions.
Without van Gogh, it is possible that there would have been countless art movements that would not have existed had he not revealed his skills to the world. His use of vibrant colored palettes and focus on the emotion and feeling of a painting shows his innate skill as an artist. And realizing the scope of his influence on even the artists of today only further demonstrates just how pivotal the art he created was.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image by https://pixabay.com/illustrations/vincent-van-gogh-oil-painting-artist-1089315/
2nd image by https://pixabay.com/illustrations/van-gogh-ear-delusion-reality-433546/
Artble. (n.d.). Vincent Van Gogh Style and Technique. https://www.artble.com/artists/vincent_van_gogh/more_information/style_and_technique
Hummel, A.L. (n.d.). What Was The Impact Of Vincent Van Gogh On The Art World? https://anitalouiseart.com/what-was-the-impact-of-vincent-van-gogh-on-the-art-world/
Oxford Art Online. (n.d.). Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/page/impressionism-and-post-impressionism/impressionism-and-postimpressionism
