Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh, Asylum In St. Remy Painting

I vividly remember the day that Van Gogh captured my attention, impacted my emotions and effected my artistic sensibilities.  It was about ten years ago at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA.  I was there to see an exhibit on the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters.  I walked around a corner and looked up to see Van Gogh’s self portrait that he rendered of a Gustave Dore painting, while he was in the asylum at Saint-Remy (see painting above).  This is certainly not one of  Van Gogh’s paintings that comes to most peoples minds, but it’s the one that made tears well up in my eyes.  

Vincent Van Gogh, "Cafe Terrace At Night"

No artist has had the single most effect on my later years as an artist as Vincent Van Gogh has.  His knowledge and use of complimentary colors with their tints and tones was profound.  Van Gogh was an artistic genius.  Comparing the painting above with the painting below, one can see that Vincent dared to paint the complete spectrum of his emotions.  His transparent honesty and artistic genius amaze me to this day. 

Although Van Gogh created over 2,000 works of art on canvas and paper, and sold only a handful of paintings in his entire life, he is one of the most recognized artists of all time!  If you want to broaden your insights into the life of an artist who was a true genius, study the life, works, and letters of  Vincent Van Gogh! - Jill Saur, Jill Saur Fine Art, LLC.  

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Van Gogh, A New Way Of Seeing

TONIGHT, APRIL 14TH AT THE REGAL AVALON IN ALPHARETTA AT 7:00 PM

I'm sending out a reminder to my students about this one night showing of the new Van Gogh movie.  Here is a review of the movie written by Emily D'Silva:

VAN GOGH, A NEW WAY OF SEEING

A brilliantly insightful documentary, Vincent Van Gogh – A New Way of Seeing, provides a deeper understanding of Vincent Van Gogh, and the experiences throughout his life that contributed to his success. The viewer is taken on a journey of discovery, from his earlier occupation as an evangelist, through to his development into becoming an artist. 

A narration of Van Gogh’s letters, addressed to his younger brother Theo, feature heavily in the film. The brothers were very close, consequently writing frequently to one another whilst they lived apart. After his brother’s death, Theo worked hard to promote Van Gogh’s works and publish his letters, reiterating that “art is long, and life is short”.

This detail instantly creates a sense of intimacy and empathy between the audience and Van Gogh. The artist’s influences, ideas and doubts are brought to light in these letters, providing a fascinating window for the audience to understand what moved and inspired him. Theo’s great-grandson Vincent Willem Van Gogh also provides an interview, offering his own personal observation of his family history, and acknowledging that his relative’s art went unappreciated during his lifetime. 

The film presents the perspectives of a number of researchers and curators at the Van Gogh Museum, which opened in Amsterdam in 1973. Some current artists, such as Lachlan Goudie, express admiration for Van Gogh, drawing upon his own artistic influences in their works and confirming the shared view of the importance of light in compositions.

An artistic audience will be able to relate to Goudie and Van Gogh’s expressive love for capturing their observations with paint, perhaps even understanding the energy and euphoria that is experienced through creating in this medium. Many struggling artists will find solace in learning that Van Gogh initially lacked the confidence and talent to succeed, however, the documentary shows that both dedication and extensive practice were met with success, and his art flourished.

Verdict: 

Emily D’Silva

Hope to see you there tomorrow night!  -  Jill Saur  

P.S. YOU SHOULD RESERVE YOUR SEATING AT FANDANGO.COM

Painting Classes Roswell, GA

"You read books to borrow therefrom the force to stimulate your activity... but I read books searching for the man who has written them." - Vincent Van Gogh

The following words are from a book titled, "Windows Of The Soul" by Ken Gire.  "There is a story about the famous illustrator and painter Gustave Dore in which one of his students had just finished a painting of Jesus and handed it to him for his critique.  Dore studied it, his mind searching for the right words.  At last he handed it back to the student.  "If you loved Him more, "he said, "you would have painted Him better."

Those words struck a chord with me because I'm usually asking my students, "What do you want to work on next?"  I believe it's really important for each student to find what they're passionate about and paint that.  If you love the subject matter that you're working on, you're going to be ALL IN!  I encourage you to get your camera out and take your own photos.  When you find that which you love and you capture it yourself, you're going to have all your senses engaged when you work on your painting.  

I've been doing a study of a scene that I came upon while on vacation in Taos, New Mexico.  When I'm applying the paint, I can remember the brilliance of the sun, the highlights of the light on the quaking leaves and the sound and smells of the rushing water as it splashed on the rocks in front of me.  When I'm painting and I'm ALL IN, invariably, I create my best works. - Jill Saur

Below are photos of recent finished works by my students.  To see more of my students awesome work, or to inquire about taking art classes, please visit my website.  CLICK HERE   Or, email me.  EMAIL 

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