Vincent van Gogh's Enduring Influence on Modern Art

Giveaway sweepstakes! PLUS: Centennial celebration is coming!

I’m on a countdown!

August 12. . .August 19. . .August 26. . . and THEN. . .

Tuesday, September 2 is the commemoration of Jo van Gogh Bonger’s passing in 1925.

A 100th-year anniversary!

Since I post this weekly essay every Tuesday, I am delighted Jo’s upcoming centennial will fall on the first Tuesday of September. OF COURSE, we will pay her tribute. For that date honors a life that unwittingly made a worldwide, lasting outsized impact.

Jo’s life is an unusual illustration. It’s difficult to imagine the large and lasting scale of her influence.

So, as the calendar marches toward September 2, I’ll be laying a little groundwork to give context to the significance of Jo saving Vincent. In the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing notes on:

• Vincent’s enduring influence on modern art;

• Societal norms Jo shattered to make history;

• Jo’s role in shaping Vincent’s legacy; and

• The business of being a genius.

  
  

Let’s go!

Beyond the Impression

When Vincent lived in Paris he joined up with other avant-garde artists, introduced to him by his art-dealer brother, Theo. After spending six years in the Netherlands and Belgium teaching himself to draw and paint, Vincent was looking for the “friction of ideas” from other artists.

Well, he got them. His two years in Paris turned out to be an explosive time of discovery and processing and experimenting and assimilating. At first, he tried out others’ techniques, but ultimately, those experiments led him into the unchartered waters of a unique style.

For example, Impressionists had worked to capture the external world (painting an impression of a scene). Van Gogh used color and brushwork to express his emotionsand as a direct outlet of his feelings. See his painting Shoes or A Pair of Shoes.(1886). There’s debate on what the old mud-caked pair of shoes represents. Hardships of a laborer’s life? Struggles of the artist?

Or even a symbol of the universal human experience?

However you interpret it, it’s a good example of expressing subjective experience and prioritizing it over objective reality.

Because of this Van Gogh is regarded by many as a forerunner of Expressionism.

The Ripple Effect of a Vision

Like that proverbial snowball rolling down a hill, Van Gogh’s ideas gradually travelled and so influenced modern art’s direction.

Artists in the German Expressionism movement connected with Van Gogh’s work, loving his “confrontational directness, forceful brushwork, and vivid colors.” The Fauves (led by Henri Matisse) noted and assimilated Van Gogh’s daring and non-naturalistic use of color. Rather than thinking of color as a physical observation, Van Gogh felt color carried “psychological weight” and so could be used as a tool to create emotional impact, not to simply represent reality. See Van Gogh’s Eugène Boch portrait for its ethereal background.

Van Gogh also innovated by his use of impasto, a technique in which paint is applied so thickly it creates a sense of movement and energy. Starry Night is a popular illustration. I remember from my book research that sometimes Van Gogh’s paintings would arrive at Jo and Theo’s apartment by train from Arles still not fully dried.

And Van Gogh had a direct influence on many artists, notably Paul Gauguin (whom he lived with in Arles). Francis Bacon and Willem de Kooning were two significant artists influenced by Van Gogh’s ability to express existential angst. Bacon even painted a series as a tribute to Van Gogh. Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh I is considered one of the best.

And there are many other subsequent artists—from Willem de Kooning to Pablo Picasso to artists living today like David Hockney and more—who cite Van Gogh’s brushstrokes, color and the unique way he saw the world as powerful inspiration for their work.

The modern art movement was already underway when Vincent first came to Paris.

He didn’t start it, but he indisputably redefined it.

How Much Difference Can One Person Make?

Vincent’s influential footprint is mighty big. Yet, hidden behind the enormous shadow of Van Gogh’s art and story is a quiet fact. His profound legacy would have been lost to history without the unwavering dedication of his sister-in-law, Jo van Gogh.

Her commitment to preserving and promoting his art was the vital final act that secured his place as an indisputable giant of the art world. She proved that behind a revolutionary genius, there can be an equally significant and unsung hero.

How does a single person create a lasting legacy?

Well, for starters, a certain amount of disruption is necessary.

I’ll pick up on Jo’s good trouble in my next essay. See you in the comments or on August 19!

Warmly,