‘…painted portraits have a life of their own that comes from deep in the soul of the painter…’ Vincent van Gogh
A grubby strip of cloth
bound around his head
distracts from the bright
spot of burning reds,
a Japanese print
pinned to the wall
before he sliced his ear.
He painted the background
of his self-portrait of despair
so lovingly: a colourful diversion
of figures, flowers and gnarled
thorn branches: a source of inspiration.
Kim M. Russell, 2018
My poem for Poets United Poetry Pantry #395
Mary has shared a photo she took inside the Milwaukee Art Center a couple weeks ago, which prompted me to share a poem I ‘found’ in an article about a new Vincent van Gogh exhibition.
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I love this. Vince is an incredible artist.
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Thank you. I’ve loved his work since I was a teenager.
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My goodness this is good!💖 You have brought Vincent to life with your wonderfully vivid descriptions! Especially love; “He painted the background of his self-portrait of despair so lovingly.”💖
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Thank you, Sanaa!
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Was that red meant to mean blood? So much food for thought… nice ekphrastic piece Kim!
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I was thinking passion.
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I like the way you guided us through the details of this poignant painting, gently bringing the reader aware of the turmoil in the artist’s heart.
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Thank you, Rommy.
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How well observed – the background is the message – never seen til now
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I can’t take full credit for the observation, Laura – as I said in the post, I ‘found’ the poem in an article about the new exhibition.
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maybe not but you put it so poeticaly
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Thank you, Laura!
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Brightness has always been the greatest of veils for anyone in want of hiding their darkness.
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That is true, Magaly.
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I love how you took such a deep look into this self-portrait….some things I had not even thought about like the background. Amazing how our self-portraits that come from deep within us onto a canvas of paints or words or digital pixels show more than we even imagine.
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Thanks Donna.
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A wonderful contrast, his bleakness and that colourful print, presented as effectively in your words as in the art itself.
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Thank you, Sherry.
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Love the focus on the background… the contrast between his somber and appearance and the background might give a hint about his inner turmoil.
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🙂
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So beautifully captured the image in your words…
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Thank you, Neeraj.
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Well observed Kim.
Genius sometimes brings with it ‘madness.’ Vincent fought his demons with fortitude – but oft they won. His genius lives on.
Anna :o]
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Thank you, Anna. The new exhibition, Van Gogh and Japan, looks very exciting. It’s on from 23 March 2018 – 24 June 2018 at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I would love to go!
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I have never spent a lot of time in the art world but your words draw me in to discover more..
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Thank you, Robert!
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Yes indeed he has painted the background of his self-despair lovingly. One would really never guess by looking at a lot of his works Just watched part of a movie “Loving Vincent” last night….’the world’s first feature-length, oil-painted animation.’ I eventually tired of the movie, but really it was fascinating to view the intricate oil painted scenes. You might want to try to find this. I checked it out from the library. It is a 2017 film.
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Than kyou, Mary. I went to see it when it came out. I enjoyed the film but thought it was a bit long.
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Love van Gogh … especially his use of beautiful yellow – though I read that this may have been a result of his sight being affected by glaucoma – or perhaps lead poisoning. That has, since then, often left we wondering – when looking at a piece of art or reading a piece of literature – what is it that has taken the artist to where they have gone, artistically. The van Gogh quote gives me pause.
An interesting take on the artist – well rendered.
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Thank you, Wendy.
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Excellent work!
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I’ve always thought his backgrounds to be deliberate, and like how you capture that here.
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I think it must be a therapy to paint self-portraits. He looks so calm there for one who just cut his ear off.
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Well found! And a fascinating insight.
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Thank you, Rosemary!
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Brava.. 😎🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
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Thank you so much, Dorna!
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Nice one. I read only recently though that the slicing of the ear was really not so at all. That someone cut his ear off in a fight, cant remember the link now
much love..
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Monday WRites is live; I invite you to link in
much love…
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I’m on my way over!
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