The thick and turbulent brushstrokes in Van Gogh's works reflect his unique painting technique, influenced by his intense emotional state and his vision of the world.
Van Gogh was often subject to deep emotional turmoil that appears directly in his brushwork. His struggle with episodes of anxiety, depression, and a certain psychological instability drove him to express his emotions in a raw and intense way. This heightened sensitivity explains why his paintings often exhibit a nervous style, with quick and spontaneous gestures. In essence, the more intensely he felt things, the thicker his brushstrokes became, laden with paint, creating those famous tormented touches that give the impression he poured his soul into every stroke. His inner agitation then becomes completely visible on the canvas, offering the viewer the almost immediate possibility of feeling what he experienced while creating his works.
Van Gogh often used a technique called impasto, which involves applying paint in thick layers with pronounced brush strokes. He mainly employed stiff-bristle brushes, and sometimes even used a palette knife or his fingers directly to create those famous tortured textures. This intentional choice allowed him to express his intense emotions directly onto the canvas, revealing every nervous and passionate movement. These thicknesses of paint added depth to his vibrant colors, enhancing the visual and emotional intensity of his works.
Van Gogh lived during the height of the Post-Impressionist period, a time when artists rejected academic rules to further explore their personal emotions and sensory perceptions. During this time, a society undergoing industrial and urban transformation provoked existential crises in many artists. In this climate of anxiety and uncertainty, Van Gogh chose to express this distress with thick, agitated brushstrokes. The influence of Japanese prints (ukiyo-e), which were very popular in Europe at the time, also pushed Van Gogh towards intense colors, strong contrasts, and an heightened freedom in shapes and textures. In other words, his era, heavily influenced by change, modernity, and cultural openness, directly nourished the tormented and expressive aspects of his brushwork.
Van Gogh lived a good part of his life in true solitude, punctuated by periods of depression and deep anxiety. His difficult experiences, such as romantic failures, poverty, and mental troubles, directly nourished his art and strongly influenced his way of painting. His stay in Arles, in the south of France, is a super important period during which he produced some of his most famous works, such as The Starry Night. His voluntary internment in the asylum of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence further marked his style with a tormented and highly intense expression. Through solitude and inner suffering, Van Gogh transferred his emotions into his art: hence the thick, nervous, and swirling brushstrokes that are clearly noticeable in his paintings.
Looking at Van Gogh's paintings, you immediately notice the tormented and vivid quality of the brush strokes, as if they vibrate on the canvas. He applied paint in thick layers, known as impastos, to accentuate the reliefs and create the impression that everything is moving. The bold and contrasting colors also create an energetic, almost electric sensation. It seems he captures raw emotion, with those tumultuous swirls, twisted lines, and thick textures that seem to directly convey his own inner turmoil. The circular movements, like in The Starry Night, draw you into a kind of hypnotic spiral, while the sharp and aggressive strokes often express tension and anxiety. This visually dynamic aspect makes his paintings come alive as if they are breathing before us.
During his lifetime, Van Gogh personally sold only one work, 'The Red Vineyard', while today his paintings are among the most expensive and sought-after in the world.
The painter likely suffered from bipolar disorder and depressive episodes, which influenced his choices of bright colors and tormented brush strokes, reflecting his inner feelings.
Van Gogh applied the paint directly from the tube onto the canvas, a technique called 'impasto', giving his paintings that characteristic relief.
The vibrant colors used by Van Gogh can be partially attributed to his obsession with the new synthetic hues that emerged during the industrial era.
Van Gogh considered color as an essential means of conveying strong and deep emotions. He used bold, contrasting, and sometimes unrealistic colors to amplify the emotional intensity and tormented expression in his works.
At the time of Van Gogh, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists were increasingly experimenting with personal expression and movement. Influenced by these movements, Van Gogh also adopted an expressive approach, favoring thick and visible paint to convey vivid and direct sensations.
Van Gogh frequently used brushes and spatulas loaded generously with oil paint. This working method helped create thick layers, giving his works their characteristic intense and dynamic textures.
Van Gogh felt a very strong and emotional connection with nature. During his stays in rural areas, the landscape and natural elements often became a direct metaphor for his inner state. This emphasized the raw, vibrant, and tortured aspect of his painting method.
Complex and painful emotional episodes, such as loneliness, misunderstanding, or deep depression, have significantly influenced the way Van Gogh approached painting. His broad and expressive brushstrokes reflect an artistic process deeply connected to his troubled emotions.
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