Google Art Project

I want to analyse a well-known art work: The bedroom of the dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (http://www.googleartproject.com/museums/vangogh/the-bedroom).
It was created in 1888. Van Gogh was a post impressionism painter, like Paul
Gauguin . I think van Gogh was I real artist. His style was unique and totally
 innovative.


In this piece, he uses primary colors: blue, red and yellow
It makes the room sobre, simple. Color is very important for this art work.
It has defined signification: Blue and yellow predominate. Blue gives a feel of peace
and rest whereas foreground, yellow conjures up life and hope.

The tones are bright. It makes the room luminous, even if
the shutters of the windows are closed. it makes the room welcoming and friendly
although there is unfilled and although it is not very much furnished.


the shapes are also particular. The artist paints this art work in 3D by
playing on the size of the different elements.Background shapes are less
defined especially on the washstand.

the space is airy. There is not element in the center of the room. It enables to
not overload the room.

The lines are not straigh. The painting hung on the wall are curve. It makes
the room rickety. The observator is thrown balance by those lines.
the Outlines are ill-defined, especially for the bed. It reinforces the depth
of the picture.

The shapes are both square and rounded: the painting and the frame of the windows
contrast with the base of the bed.

Texture is very unusual: van Gogh does not apply paint completely. He lets
the marks of brush that make his style so special. Even if he has coarse traits,
he manages to set details of well.

Foreground, the size of the bed base is gently exaggerated. It spills out
over the door.



Contrast is very important in this art work: Van Gogh uses primary colors
without play with the shadows. It makes the room luminous and not very
realist. Van Gogh does not want to represent the reality but his impression.

The Dominance is blue and yellow. The simplicity of the room shows that Van
Gogh wanted to get rid of useless and superficial things.

There is an real Harmony: the room is only mode up of bed furnitures.
It is still the same colour that are used.

The repetition of the chair on the background reinforces the harmony of the room.

All the disposition of the elements of the room seems to be organize around
the bed: The two chairs are vis-à-vis with the bed.

The proportion of the elements seems to be respected, except for the bed base
which is a little bit too big. It increase the depth of the room.


This artwork is very simple: Van gogh does not dwell on the details, this room
is not overload, and the elements which are drawn are not drawn in great details.
However this artwork pacifies. It suggests  rest and sleep.
the mirror hung on the wall does not reflect the room. It seems so much
lighted that its reflection dazzles us. This art work is restful and
it evokes positive feeling. Van Gogh here wanted to show us were he lived
and how was his world. The interest of this artwork is that it does not represent
how really was the van Gogh's bedroom, but how van Gogh showed his bedroom.


I like this artwork very much. I especially like its colors. I generally prefere
paintings that represent positive things and that evoke positive feelings.
This one is really positive. I am impress by the fact that Van Gogh  succeed in
doing a so beautiful painting with so little resources. It was the aim of van
Gogh to show us the importance of colors, and I think he has managed!
Even if this room is very primary and little sophisticated, it does not
bother me to live in this room !

secrets of success

Everybody wants to know the secrets of success. Thanks to Richard St. John's, we go to know those secrets at last!
Passion, work, focus, persist, ideas, good, push and serve are the ingredients for an ensured success.

I think Passion is very important to reach its aim. If you don't love what you do, you won't give you the means of finishing your work. You must not see you work as something painful but on the contrary as something enjoyable. You could not do you work properly if you don't appreciate it. For example, if a painter doesn't love to paint, he never could paint a master-work and he will just scribble some poor drawing.
If I was not passionate for rock climbing, I would not train myself and I would not have the same level that I have today. Passion is that push you to give your best.

Ps: my previous post have been published there is little time earlier but I writed it  the last Week-end on a notepad and I forgot to publish it. That is why those two posts are so near.

How art gives shape to cultural change

I want to comment the picture at 10:22 of the Thelma Golden's talks.
It is a sculpture representing a white men clotted like a confederate soldier during the American Civil War,
who rides a creature with a head of an african woman. the creature is holding a head but i don't really
understand what that represents.
I find this sculpture hideous. I think this is the aim of the sculptor: to show how slavery is horrible.
It shows the behaviours of the white mens during this period.
The soldier is unhurriedly smoking his pipe and shows us a superior expression.
On the contrary, the creature seems to be completely submissive and it bows.
This sculpture is not beautiful, but it denounces the injustices of slavery and it is because it strikes
us that it is effective.


According to Thelma Golden, images enable people to wonder about taboo subjects or contentious subjects.
Thanx to images, we can initiate dialogues on those diffucult subjects. Images are not understood in the same
way by everyone. It is by sharing what images make us feel that we can open the dialogue and do constructive dialogue. So images enable to introduce sensitive subject and make people converse.

Museums are the place where those dialogue can take place. By gathering images together, it raises questions and it makes people share it opinion. As Thelma Golden says, it is a "think tank", where experts or no matter who can be expressed.

I agree with this point of view. I really think that art can make things change. It abbles to kindle our curiosity
about subject that we are not necessarily aware. A work can be more efficient and more striking than talk. It can touch  people and it makes them think. It is so efficient that Art was used during the World War for propaganda of the Nazi and the red.














Art can be understood by an audience larger than a written because it doesn't require to be capable of reading.
I think art is a really powerfull means of making things change, but it can be dangerous if ill-intentioned people use it.