As part of their 200 year anniversary celebrations and to mark that it’s 100 years since they purchased Van Gogh’s Sunflowers’ and ‘Van Gogh’s Chair’, the National Gallery are currently holding their first major exhibition devoted entirely to Van Gogh.
This spectacular exhibition covers works created by Van Gogh over a two year period, 1888-90, whilst he was living in the South of France. During this time, Van Gogh developed his use of bold and intense colours and rich textural technique to communicate emotion. By focusing on the people and places he encountered, he explored the expressive and poetic possibilities of his simple subject matter, whilst often referencing literary and artistic sources.
In room after room of overwhelming colour, 61 stunning works of art are on display, many of which have been lent by private collectors and museums as far afield as the U.S.A, Japan, The Netherlands, Germany and Greece. Labels state only the title, date and owner of each artwork, so that reactions to the paintings and drawings, as well as the thoughts and feelings induced, are instinctive and one’s own rather than that of the curators or directly related to Van Gogh’s troubled life.
Van Gogh’s art is given the space to speak for itself in this unmissable exhibition.
Here's a selection of the photos that I took of my favourite works of art in the exhibition.
