index > Chair painting by Van Gogh with focus on detail
 
Vincent's Chair, 1888, 93 x 73.5 cm, National Gallery.
's Chair, 1888, 90.5 x 72 cm, Rijksmuseum
Vincent anticipating arrival in Arles brought him this chair, (of course Vincent has to paint any new subject
that comes his way).
On 23 October 1888 Paul (l848-1903) arrived at the Yellow House, where he stayed for nine weeks. He left his temperamental friend on 26 December
after several serious disagreement and indents. Van Gogh had wanted , whom he had meet in Paris, November 1887, to come to Arles ever since May
1888, so that they could work together. It was Van Gogh dream to form an art colony, unfortunately it was never to come about in his lifetime. It
was during their last disagreement that Vincent cut off part of his ear.
Vincent probably got the notion for this painting from an engraving he purchase while he worked at a London Gallery (1873), the print is of
Charles Dickens’s empty chair in commemoration of the great author.
This close up shows Vincent's impasto brush work and
vibrant use of colours, the dark blue outlines to exploit definition and strengthen the forms (Vincent's Chair, 1888).
| Towards 1886 Van Goth used an impressionist technique he developed now known as "dashes" to apply paint, this
aids the light next to dark needed in good painting. after this he moves on to "waves and swirls" applied so thickly that the
paint cast shadows. |
 
Dashes And Swirls of Van Gogh
|
Extract from a Letter To Vincent's Brother
Theo:
"I should not be surprised if the Impressionists* soon find fault with my way of working, for it has been
fertilized by the ideas of Delacroix rather than by theirs.
Because, instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use colour more arbitrarily so as to express myself
forcibly."
*Primarily Monet,
Renoir and Pissarro
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