The Kröller-Müller Museum houses the world’s second-largest collection of Van Gogh’s works (the first being that of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam), and to this collection belongs Girl in a Wood, another unsigned work, which depicts a girl inside a forest near The Hague: this is where Van Gogh went to carry out his first experiments en plein air, beginning to mature that close relationship with nature that would be another of the founding elements of his art (we also devoted a lengthy in-depth article in the magazine to this theme). Girl in a Wood (1882 oil on canvas, 37 x 58.8 cm Otterlo, Kröller-Müller Museum) Vincent van Gogh, Still Life with Cabbage and Clogs (November-December 1881 oil on canvas, 34.5 x 55 cm Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum)Ģ. We are, however, still a long way from the mature outcomes of his art. It is in this case little more than an exercise in form and color, which the artist nonetheless resolves in spite of little experience, managing to convey the differences in texture of the painted materials. The painting attests to the beginnings of the painter, whose early works were devoted to realist imitation art, depicting (and this would be a constant throughout his life) what was available to him, in this case some objects he had at home. The painting, which is unsigned, is also mentioned in a letter sent to Théo on December 12, 1881. This is the artist’s first known work, marked with inventory number F1 in the general catalog of Van Gogh’s works. Still Life with Cabbage and Clogs (November-December 1881 oil on canvas, 34.5 x 55 cm Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum) ![]() However, having to trace a path in his art, which works best help to understand his painting? The choice is very difficult: however, we have made an attempt and try below to list fifteen fundamental works to begin to become familiar with Vincent van Gogh’s art, chosen so as to cover his entire career, although in a balanced way, that is, with greater concentration in the periods when his painting reached its most innovative outcomes. Today we know Van Gogh’s art to perfection also because we preserve almost in its entirety his epistolary corpus: in particular, the letters sent to his brother, the art dealer Théo van Gogh (Zunder, 1857 - Utrecht, 1891), in which the artist, confiding intimately, revealed his dreams, ambitions, quests, and even his difficulties and torments, are a most valuable source for understanding the motivations that animated his art. Van Gogh was, however, among the first artists, along with Gauguin himself and a few others, to radically change the course of art, which also thanks to him began to focus on the motions of the artist’s soul and interiority, rather than on nature or the external aspects of reality. Although Van Gogh was an extremely well-read artist, contrary to what mainstream narratives might suggest (his work at the Goupil art house enabled him to study art in depth, plus he possessed a good personal library), and although he could boast the friendship of some of the best artists of the time (his connection with Gauguin is well known), the innovative scope of his art was not immediately perceived by his contemporaries. ![]() Contrary to what one might think despite the vast amount of Van Gogh’s works that we know of, his career was very short-lived: the artist, in fact, came to painting very late (first he worked as a salesman at the Goupil art house and then, from 1876 to 1880, he spent a period as a teacher in England, after which, back home, he worked as a bookseller in Dordrecht: only from 1881 did he devote himself fully to art, albeit without success), and his parabola lasted less than ten years, from 1881 until his death in 1890.įull recognition also came only posthumously. ![]() Throughout his career, Vincent van Gogh (Zundert, 1853 - Auvers-sur-Oise, 1890) painted hundreds of works of art, now preserved in museums around the world: it is estimated that Van Gogh authored about nine hundred paintings and over a thousand drawings. ![]() Fifteen works to learn about Vincent Van Gogh, his art, and his greatness, in a journey that covers his entire career.
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