BRIGHT! Creative Workshops for Kids: Vincent Van Gogh

Self Portait, Van Gogh, 1889

There's a lot to be said about Vincent Van Gogh. In my class every day I have the students take notes about the artists. It's usually five or six bullet points and a short lecture and slide show before we dive into the creative part. For Van Gogh, I had a full page of notes. His life as well as his paintings is fascinating, and aspects of his life are reflected in his work.

Church at Auvers, Van Gogh, 1890

He was an emotional and sensitive man. His sensitivity can be seen in his vivid use of color- almost like he saw things that weren't there- like the saw things that no one else saw. He was born in Denmark in 1853. He was a Post-Impressionist painter. The French Impressionists were a group pf painters interested in capturing an "impression" of something. Basically they wanted to make a painting that was like a quick snapshot- no details, no deeper meaning, just their first impression of a scene on caught paper (well canvas). The post Imressionists though, were interested in solving some of the problems that the impressionists ran into. Their work was often blurry, milky, or just plain "froo-froo" and fluffy. Post Impressionist painters like Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Gauguin were interested in taking the ideas of quick glimpses and wild colors and making them more "meaty," as in less fluffy, more geometric and thought-out.

Portrait of Pere Tanguy, Van Gogh, 1887

(Tanguy was an art dealer and friend of Van Gogh. In the background of this portrait you can see Japanese images. At this time there was a serious Japanese "craze" in art and decorating, which really inspired Van Gogh. He make oil paint copies of several Japanese woodblock prints.)

Van Gogh had a hard time keeping friends and was often lonely. He was good friends with fellow painter Paul Gauguin for a time but Van Gogh became obsessive and even violent and pushed Gauguin away. Most people today believe Vincent Van Gogh had a severe mental illness. At the time of his life though, mental problems weren't understood as they are today. People probably thought of Van Gogh as "weird" or even "crazy," but there were no options for treatment or therapy back then. Van Gogh was extremely frustrated by how his mental condition held him back and through his life he became more and more lonely and obsessive. His brother Theo was his best friend. Vincent sent 400 letters to Theo, who loves his brother very much, but only replied with 30. Theo was also his main financial supporter. He gave Van Gogh what he could, but it wasn't enough for Van Gogh to live a healthy lifestyle. Cigarettes, alcohol, and bread were just about the only things Van Gogh consumed, and his physical health wasn't much stronger than his mental health.

Starry Night Over the Rhone, Van Gogh, 1889

Van Gogh was desperate to find love. When he was younger, he and a young lady made plans to be married but parents on both sides refused and they were both devastated. As he got older he was faced with rejection and separation from ladies he loved, which brought him to the infamous incident where he cut off his own ear, giving it to a lady and telling her to, "guard it carefully." After this incident, his brother Theo booked him two rooms at the local insane asylum- one room to sleep in and one room to paint in. It was out the window of this asylum that he painted the famous "Starry Night."

The Starry Night, Van Gogh, 1889

The story ends tragically. Vincent Van Gogh was shot in the chest in 1890. It's believed that it was self-inflicted, brought on by his worsening mental condition, although no gun was ever found. The shot actually cleared his major organs, and after the initial shock, his condition was approving. His brother Theo rushed to be with him at the hospital. unfortunately the wound wasn't properly cared for and Vincent Van Gogh died of infection in 1890. He was 37 years old.

At Eternity's Gate, Van Gogh, 1890

The people in his time weren't used to seeing a wild and emotional style of painting like Van Gogh's. His work made it into several shows that he applied for but was generally not well-recieved. While he was alive, he only sold one painting, and it was to a family friend. Today, Vincent Van Gogh is regarded as one of the greatest painters who ever lived. His work is popular with artists ethusiasts and the genreal public. His "Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear" just a few years ago sold at auction for $90 million. If only Van Gogh could have gotten just a slice of the recognition he deserved.

Vase With Twelve Sunflowers, Van Gogh, 1888

Although Van Gogh seemingly had a troubled and lonely life, his work is generally very joyous and optimistic. Personally, I'm a very sensitive person and I relate to Van Gogh a lot in this way. When you're easily depressed you tend to be just as easily excited. Van Gogh was probably just as often exhilarated and "high on life" as he was desparetly lonely. A delicate emotional scale is seemingly a common trait in artists. His favorite colors to use were ultramarine (a dark blue, a little on the purple side- blue is often associated sadness but can also be linked to spirituality), yellow (a happy color- think sunshine and warmth) and mauve (a dark, purpley-pink).

Van Gogh's Palette

More works by Van Gogh:

The Potato Eaters, Van Gogh, 1885

The Night Cafe, Van Gogh, 1888

Bedroom at Arles, Van Gogh, 1888

Cafe Terrace at Night, Van Gogh, 1889

Irises, Van Gogh, 1889

Wheatfield with Crows, Van Gogh, 1890 ("double square" canvas, meaning the size of two regular canvases - large-scale)

The kids totally blew me away with their clever interpretations of Van Gogh's pieces. I think there was more thought and talent tonight than any other night this month. I looked at the clock to give the kids a time frame and it was already clean-up time! The kids couldn't believe it. We all had a blast and time had seriously flown by. I let them skip the clean-up rituals and work until they got picked up by their parents.

It's hard to tell from this angle, but this student made a pop-up card, but out pictures he drew of Van Gogh, then drew the paper to look like "Bedroom at Arles" although I think they colors may be inspired by "Nightcafe."

Wonderful!!

This student was inspired by the paintings Van Gogh made of his chair and the one of Gauguin's chair. I told them that in a way, these paintings are self portraits- the colors, perspective, and still life object tell a lot about a person without their face needing to be in the painting. This student is taking the swirling effects from Starry Night and including them in a "self portrait" of a chair with her favorite book on it.