"And with the help of his younger brother Theo,
Vincent decided to travel and find inspiration
in more colorful places.
He packed up his art supplies and a few
belongings and left Paris through sunflower
fields and villages to a small city called Arles."
belongings and left Paris through sunflower
fields and villages to a small city called Arles."
This part of Vincent Van Gogh's life begins in Paris - all 'gray and blue, busy and refined'. The colors (or lack thereof) he saw in his surroundings were a reflection of the city itself. Vincent loved to paint sunflowers, and was not too concerned with whether people liked them. His talks with other artists in sidewalk cafes and coffee shops led to his meeting Paul Gauguin.
Paul's art was more colorful than any art Vincent had previously seen; he thought Paul was brilliant. As their friendship grew, Vincent willingly shared his sunflower paintings with Paul; Paul was amazed at Vincent's talent. As they talked about art and color, Vincent began to see how to use color in different ways. He wanted to see more. So, he moved away from Paris and found a new home. From there, he wrote letters to his brother and hoped that Paul would visit.
Vincent also spent time outside at night. All the while, he painted persistently. He was more prolific than he had ever been, and his work became more and more colorful. Still, there was something not right for him. So, he worked harder in hopes he would create work to soothe troubled hearts as it was helping him to heal.
"Vincent changed the way colors do.
Vibrant and full of feeling, he was
prepared to welcome his dear friend."
Vibrant and full of feeling, he was
prepared to welcome his dear friend."
Perceptive language and exceptional artwork created using watercolor, ink, pen and pencil encourage readers to pay attention to the story being told. It would be wonderful to have samples from Van Gogh's body of work to share once the book is read. Is there an art lesson here?
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