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Van Gogh's Studio Practice
464 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2013
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June 26, 2016
I enjoyed reading much of this long, dense, varied, mostly technical book -- and learned something from each one of its many essays, even though I sometimes found it difficult going.
To be clear, this is not a "coffee table type" picture book of art reproductions; instead, it is a book about the science of art. It is not an easy read, because of the specialized and rigorous ongoing research that it reports on, in areas such as the number and pattern of threads in a given type of canvas; the chemicals in oil paints made by a particular manufacturer; and incorporations in wet paint, including windblown sand, the result of working _en plein air_ at the coast.
The book documents active and wide-ranging fields of scientific research, with perhaps more technical information than some art lovers will want, but I (a non-specialist) found it worthwhile because of the many new ideas -- some quite speculative, others very convincing -- that arise from a greater knowledge of Van Gogh's studio practices.
And so we read about the kinds of canvases he preferred (when he could afford/obtain them) vs. the types he was frequently reduced to using (and occasionally re-using); we learn how his color palette evolved, and about ways in which he manipulated color effects through juxtaposition -- as well as how the fading of certain paint colors and other pigments has affected the balance of some works; we see how he experimented with composition (especially in a series of notebooks filled with studies), and we look through the special viewing frames that he made or had built in order to practice perspective; _et cetera_.
Having been a fan of Van Gogh's work ever since I first saw it, in pale reproductions in a long-ago school book, I was pleased to read these new revelations as to how Van Gogh accomplished so many brilliant effects. And I especially enjoyed this book because (in the summer of 2013) I was privileged to see the show that it accompanied at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. (A second book, _Van Gogh at Work_, is a more popular treatment of themes arising from that exhibition.)
Although this book will not be of interest to everyone, I highly recommend these essays to those interested in the science behind the art, as they explore what new technology and contemporary expertise reveal about the consistent hard work and persistent experimentation enabling Van Gogh's genius.
To be clear, this is not a "coffee table type" picture book of art reproductions; instead, it is a book about the science of art. It is not an easy read, because of the specialized and rigorous ongoing research that it reports on, in areas such as the number and pattern of threads in a given type of canvas; the chemicals in oil paints made by a particular manufacturer; and incorporations in wet paint, including windblown sand, the result of working _en plein air_ at the coast.
The book documents active and wide-ranging fields of scientific research, with perhaps more technical information than some art lovers will want, but I (a non-specialist) found it worthwhile because of the many new ideas -- some quite speculative, others very convincing -- that arise from a greater knowledge of Van Gogh's studio practices.
And so we read about the kinds of canvases he preferred (when he could afford/obtain them) vs. the types he was frequently reduced to using (and occasionally re-using); we learn how his color palette evolved, and about ways in which he manipulated color effects through juxtaposition -- as well as how the fading of certain paint colors and other pigments has affected the balance of some works; we see how he experimented with composition (especially in a series of notebooks filled with studies), and we look through the special viewing frames that he made or had built in order to practice perspective; _et cetera_.
Having been a fan of Van Gogh's work ever since I first saw it, in pale reproductions in a long-ago school book, I was pleased to read these new revelations as to how Van Gogh accomplished so many brilliant effects. And I especially enjoyed this book because (in the summer of 2013) I was privileged to see the show that it accompanied at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. (A second book, _Van Gogh at Work_, is a more popular treatment of themes arising from that exhibition.)
Although this book will not be of interest to everyone, I highly recommend these essays to those interested in the science behind the art, as they explore what new technology and contemporary expertise reveal about the consistent hard work and persistent experimentation enabling Van Gogh's genius.
Displaying 1 of 1 review