Vincent van Gogh, who treated color as the captain symbol of expression, was born in 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Holland. The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. His drawings and oil painting of the Post-Impressionist style are part of the best known in the world and are most popular. Between 1860 and 1880, van Gogh accomplished to quit his job of seven years as an art dealer, develop a passion for the Bible, become a teacher in a boy’s school and transfer to a poor mining district in Belgium. However, because his passion became an obsession he was dismissed from the missionary church, after giving away all his possessions. It was at this point, that he felt that art is his calling. His way to help humanity and moved to Brussels. The next ten years van Gogh created about 900 oil paintings and a similar number of drawings. As a beginner artist, van Gogh used only dark and sad colors. However, he starts intergrading brighter colors to his paintings and adding new techniques to his unique and unmistakable style after he moved in with his brother, Theo, in 1881, and was introduces to others from the art community such as Paul Gauguin, and becomes familiar with impressionism style. Van Gogh started to try out oil paints in 1882, and starts using oil paint in his artwork more frequently. Throughout that year and the next, Vincent van Gogh continues to improve his craft. During this period many of the paintings were oil painting portraits mostly of the local peasants. In 1888 Van Gogh moved from Paris to Arles, France. He wished to fulfill his dream of creating an artist commune; a place where all members would support one another. It is clear that during this time his heart and mind felt at peace. And like the blossomed orchids in his oil paintings, van Gogh felt renewed and very productive in his artwork. A number of his famous seaside oil paintings landscapes are from this period. During 1890 it would seem that van Gogh had a dramatic recovery, in his mental health; while he is under the care of his doctor he is continues his work, with the oil paintings, with remarkable energy: in two months van Gogh painted over 80 oil paintings. However, in July 1890, van Gogh visits his brother and his family, and finds that Theo was experiencing economic difficulties, and concerns for his son’s health. Van Gogh, weighed down by his brother’s condition, continues working on his oil paintings though his mental condition is overwhelmed. On July 27 1890, Vincent van Gogh shoots himself in the chest while taking a walk. His attempt to suicide was unsuccessful. Van Gogh was found in his residence, but the bullet cannot be removed, and he dies early the next day. When his coffin was buried it was covered with his favorite flower: sunflowers. Over the next decade, a few van Gogh exhibits took place. However, not until the Bernheim - Jeune show in 1901took place, that Vincent van Gogh was really recognized as a truly important painter. In the following years, his reputation and distinction grew exponentially. Today van Gogh’s oil paintings are among the most recognized works of art in the world.
On a chilly Tuesday morning, a young man dressed in a pair of jeans and a baseball cap walked into a Washington D.C. subway station. The man then pulled out from his case a $3.5 Million Stradivarius violin and started to play. That auspicious young man was Joshua Bell a world-class violinist, one of the best violinists in the world, who usually performs at the biggest most prestigious concert halls in the world in front of sell-out crowds.
On that chili morning, the commuters that passed by on their way to work had a chance to listen to Bell play one of Bach's most sophisticated concertos for Violin.
Even though one of the world's greatest musicians was playing for free right next to them, out of 1,087 people who walked across Joshua Bell that day only three stopped to listen!!! If that same Joshua Bell played that same concerto at Albert Hall people would be lining up in the street, but here for FREE in the subway, they shrugged and ignored his beautiful interpretation of Bach.
This behavioral phenomenon can be accredited to a powerful underling force that influences us all. That force is called value attribution; it means that we attribute certain qualities according to an irrational perception of reality. While we may be hearing the same musician playing the same concerto at both instances, we attribute more to the music Joshua Bell performs on the big stage then on a corner of a subway station.
This phenomena got me thinking, was Shakespeare wrong? A rose by any other name would NOT smell as sweet?! Now, you ask yourself: "what does all this have to do with art?" Well... everything...
Value Attribution in the Art World is so entrenched; it seems that one must die before he may receive any acclaim.
Imagine seeing Vincent Van Gogh, or Claude Monet paint on a street corner? Most of us wouldn't even stop and stare at the bizarre man painting on the sidewalk. Nevertheless, we marvel and rejoice their work on the MoMA museum walls and those who can afford cough up millions of dollars to have the privilege of hanging one of their originals on their wall...
The same is true with the oil paintings themselves... when we see a glorious painting embraced by a beautiful, powerful frame, exhibited in a fancy museum; we attribute greatness to the artwork and its creator. Take that same painting and strip it from its frame and place it in a suburban home and you get a great wall décor piece, but would people attribute greatness to the oil painting? It seems that people around the world act predictably irrational when it comes to art.
Local galleries are aware of value attribution and wrap the paintings they display in an aristocratic appeal while jacking up prices. This gives the gallery followers the perception of high value. Companies like OverstockArt.com which, sell hand painted art on canvas online, have a hard time sueding their customers and therefore must sell the same art that the gallery sells for a fraction of the cost.
As consumers, we need to be aware of these underlying forces that influence our perception of quality, we must find a way to let go of some of these bad habits and focus on the rational and important attributes.
If we are able to judge art by the sole most important attribute of all: "Do I like this painting?" we might be able to spot a Pablo Picasso on the street corner, a Claude Monet painting in the park, or Vincent Van Gogh holding a pallet in the subway station.
Both Yougesh & Amitai Sasson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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Amitai Sasson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Painting and Education. Amitai Sasson is a renowned art connoisseur on a mission to seek out and explore the beauty and passion of the art world. As an avid enthusiast of