Vincent van Gogh as Human

I have to admit, I've never really given much though to Vincent van Gogh. I knew he was a famous painter and that he cut off his ear. Luckily Danny Gregory, in a single post, has opened my eyes up to the man behind the myth.

In just ten years, he went from painting awful brown crap into changing art for all time. I’ve always a kindred spirit because of the way he went about teaching himself, how he absorbed one influence after another, how he went down one path after another to get clearer and more direct in his work. He spent a few months in art school, studied under a couple of professionals, read loads of instructional books, but most of all he just painted and painted, often filling a canvas a day, day after day.

The post continues to lay out evidence at just what a remarkable figure van Gogh was. He wasn't some elite painter as I might have assumed, but was an artist struggling to find a way to succeed and even survive. Ultimately, he fails at one, and yet manages the other.

Danny's point about art in museums definitely bears repeating: "Great art isn’t scary and imposing and “Important”. It’s personal and full of feeling."

Lots to learn hear, so go read what he wrote.