Discovering Vincent

Lesser-known van Gogh works highlight of MFAH exhibition

HOUSTON — Vincent van Gogh is among the art world’s biggest stars. Everyone seems to know his name, even if it’s just from the song “Vincent” or that “Doctor Who” episode (which always makes me cry). If asked to name one painting, “Starry Night” would probably be the first one the average person would come up with.

But the cult of celebrity with its coffee cups and posters are superficial art appreciation. Van Gogh is much more than just “that crazy guy who cut his ear off for a girl.” He was a profound thinker, a masterful technician, a prolific artist — and, yes, the epitome of tortured genius.

“Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art,” at the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston though June 2, is a terrific introduction to his career, as well as offering deeper insights for those who are well versed in the Dutchman’s life and artistic career — which spanned a mere 10 years, from age 27 to his suicide at 37.

Curator David Bomford has arranged the galleries like chapters in the artist’s biography. The opening room serves as prologue. The walls are adorned with reproductions of van Gogh’s works and a handy timeline to introduce the viewer to the themes explored in the galleries proper.

The show comprises 50 pieces rarely seen outside Europe, added to a few from private collections in the U.S. In any given year, there are three or four major exhibitions of van Gogh’s work worldwide. With that in mind, many of the pieces in “A Life in Art” are lesser known, but that doesn’t mean they are lesser works. In fact, van Gogh fans will be delighted at the pieces that are not so obvious, especially the drawings.

Van Gogh’s career may have been short but he was prolific, producing 850 paintings and 1,300 drawings in the decade. He is an example of late-blooming genius, having previously failed as a teacher, missionary and art dealer. It was his art dealer brother, Theo, who encouraged him to be a painter and supported his art training in The Netherlands (Theo would support his brother financially and emotionally for ,”the rest of his life).

Vincent’s early work focused on peasant life in Nuenen. He painted 50 portraits, of which 47 still exist. “His Life in Art” features “Head of a Woman Wearing a White Cap” from 1885. She is Gordina de Groot, the daughter of a farming family that van Gogh painted. In the exhibition, her portrait hangs across from a reproduction of “The Potato Eaters,” the artist’s early masterpiece, and viewers can see her clearly on the left side of the painting.

Typically, “The Potato Eaters” was not a critical success (it is important to remember that as celebrated as he is now, van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime), and Vincent was disappointed. But he was also committed to his work. A letter to Theo, blown up to fill the gallery wall, says, “Let us be ourselves with all our shortcomings and qualities” — the sentence is underlined for emphasis.

The third gallery is highlighted by drawings. “Peasant Woman Cleaning a Pot” shows his increased mastery of technique. The woman is hunched over,and we do not see her face, yet we feel her life — the work, the struggle, the purity of the peasant class that van Gogh seeks to show us.

Van Gogh used sturdy materials such as chalk, charcoal and litho crayon, which suited his free style of drawing. The gallery also has a display of the materials he would use. Van Gogh’s drawings are notable for the variety of marks. Where other artists would use cross-hatching, or shading, Vincent mixed swirls and circles, cross-hatching and sharp lines to produce work that is full of life.

The letters to Theo are a recurring theme. It is through the brothers’ correspondence that we know Vincent’s  state of mind. He poured out his feelings about art in his correspondence. In fact, art historians are somewhat cheated when it comes to his experiences in Paris, beginning in 1886, as the brothers lived together and the letters ceased.

In Paris, Vincent discovered Impressionism and Pointillism. The 1887 oil on cardboard, “Self Portrait,” is an amalgamation of the two styles. The background and jacket are rendered with dots and slashes, but the face and beard are more impressionistic. The beard features bright orange flecks that are indicative of a van Gogh self portrait, and his piercing blue eyes reveal the intensity of his gaze. The artist painted 30 self portraits in his career, and if the eyes truly are the window to the soul, then van Gogh’s soul is open for all to see.

Away from the northern grayness of Holland, van Gogh’s drawings become lighter. His flower still lifes are brighter. Van Gogh also painted buildings that are synonymous with the Impressionists. He painted “Le Restaurant de la Siréne a Asniéres” in 1887. The restaurant, on the Seine down river from Le Grande Jatte, was the inspiration for many Impressionist paintings, but unlike the artists who showed Parisian life, van Gogh was more concerned with the building itself, painting it from the street side rather than from the river.

The portrait, “In the Café: Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin” echoes Toulouse-Lautrec, but with van Gogh’s particular use of linear brush strokes that range from intricate to more expressive in the background. Segatori was van Gogh’s lover during this period. The portrait also shows the influence of Japanese prints. It is his obsession with the colorful imports that pushed van Gogh to leave Paris for Arles in southern France to search for the sunlight — ironically, when he arrived it was raining and overcast.

While in Arles, van Gogh would wander the countryside painting the landscapes and structures he found. He painted “The Langlois Bridge at Arles” four times. Curator Bomford pointed out that the pictures were not the spontaneous works that we expect, but carefully planned out, especially in their mastery of perspective.

By 1888, van Gogh’s work was beginning to incorporate more of the bold gestural technique that we associate with him. In 1889, he invited Paul Gauguin to come and stay, in the hope of creating an artists’ commune of sorts. Gauguin was not an easy companion, and the pair fell out. When van Gogh cut off part of his ear (a story too often told to go into detail here), Gauguin left. Vincent painted “Still Life with a Plate of Onions” in 1889, which serves as a sad autobiography to the failed friendship. The items on the table correspond to the two men — the simple pipe and tobacco representing van Gogh, the candle in the ornate blue holder represents Gauguin.

Two of the real treats are to be found in the final room — one a painting, one a stunning drawing. “The Garden of the Asylum at Saint-Rémy” was painted after van Gogh’s breakdown. He was not allowed out so he turned his attention to the overgrown garden. The garden painting is luxurious, and the overgrowth gives van Gogh ample opportunity for a multitude of expressive brushstrokes. It is a visual feast.

Its monochromatic counterpart is “Weeping Tree” from 1889.  Van Gogh has summoned every sort of mark, straight lines, circles and cross-hatching made with reed pen, ink and black chalk. It is at first glance simple, but on further viewing magnificent in its complexity and seeming spontaneity.

Van Gogh died July 29, 1890, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound two days earlier. His brother Theo died the following January.

Bomford referred to a quote from van Gogh in response to someone who wondered why he painted so quickly: “If someone says you paint too quickly, look at them and say, ‘You are looking too fast.’ ­­­­” This exhibition rewards careful study. One should take the time to fully absorb the genius on display.

The real beauty of the exhibition is its ability to relate to people of varying levels of knowledge. For those who have only cursory knowledge of the Dutchman, the gallery walls are teeming with information that serves as an introduction to the man and his work. For those who fancy themselves well-versed with van Gogh’s career and life, there are little-seen gems that are truly breathtaking.

“Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art” is a must-see — and plan to take your time. It’s worth savoring.

The Museum of Fine Arts-Houston is located at 1001 Bisonnet in Houston. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors over 65 and youth 13-18. Children 12 and under are free.

For more information, visit www.mfah.org.

Story by Andy Coughlan, ISSUE editor