Getting to the ‘real’
Dr Paul Gachet. Van Gogh, courtesy Bridgeman Education
The Real Van Gogh, The Artist and His Letters. This Royal Academy exhibition is on until 18 April so there is plenty of time to get there. Painfully crowded though it is, it’s highly recommended. Despite my cynicism that there could be little new to learn about one of the best painters that ever lived, I was moved, excited, enriched and much more… because of the amazingly articulate and moving letters he wrote. Get there if you can.
For me certainly the greatest revelation was his total focus on learning, looking at the masters, drawing, drawing, redrawing, painting and then even drawing the same image again. His sketches show acute observation and clarity of purpose: using marks to express the personal and unique response to what he saw. His letters to his brother Theo are filled with detail of his struggles, his successes and failures, descriptions of techniques, subjects, and looking at art. This exhibition above all others convinced me of the absolute necessity to keep an art journal (or learning log). His letters to Theo are his journal, an instinctive and critical part of his artistic process, giving voice to his reflections, feelings, insights and passions. Theo was a patient listener.
You have to be prepared to duck and dive at this exhibition. I do not recommend you get the audio tour since this means especially huge crowds around the images mentioned on the tour. Just home in on the paintings and drawings that most catch your eye. It’s a big show so plan to pace yourself carefully.