Experts Conclude That This Odd Self-Portrait of Vincent van Gogh Giving the Side Eye Really Is by the Dutch Master

Leading experts on Vincent van Gogh have concluded that a strange portrait belonging to a Norwegian museum is actually an authentic work by the Dutch master. Extensive research conducted by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has shown that the artist executed the unusual self-portrait while he was suffering from psychosis.

The painting, from 1889, has been in the collection of Oslo’s Nasjonalmuseet since 1910, but its attribution to Van Gogh has been openly disputed since 1970. Over the years, some scholars took issue with crucial missing provenance details, while others deemed its style and dreary color palette out of key with the rest of the artist’s oeuvre.

While provenance research carried out at the Najonalmuseet in 2006 showed that the work had belonged to two friends of Van Gogh, Joseph and Marie Gioux, who lived in Arles, it was still unclear when the couple received the work. And, for a long time, experts couldn’t agree on a date of execution, or whether it was done in Arles, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, or Auvers-sur-Oise.

In a bid to settle the matter once and for all, the museum invited the experts in Amsterdam to study the portrait in 2014. Now, after comprehensive inspection of its style, technique, material, and provenance, researchers have concluded that it is “unmistakeably” by Van Gogh’s hand.

The work turns out to be the only one that can be tied to a letter Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo on September 20, 1889. What’s more, the letter proves that the work is actually a significant one, executed while the artist was having his first major psychotic episode at an asylum in Saint-Rémy. In his letter, Van Gogh describes it as “an attempt from when I was ill.” It is the only known work painted by the artist when he was in the throes of psychosis.

“Although Van Gogh was frightened to admit at that point that he was in a similar state to his fellow residents at the asylum, he probably painted this portrait to reconcile himself with what he saw in the mirror: a person he did not wish to be, yet was,” Louis van Tilborgh, a senior researcher at the Van Gogh Museum and an art historian at the University of Amsterdam, says in a statement. “This is part of what makes the painting so remarkable and even therapeutic.”

In mid-July of that year, Van Gogh entered a state of psychosis that lasted until September. At the end of the summer, in a letter dated August 22, he wrote that he was still “disturbed” but was well enough to experiment with painting again. This led experts to conclude that the work was done after August 22 but before September, and it therefore predates both of his famous 1889 self portraits in Washington’s National Gallery of Art and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

The work shows Van Gogh looking defeated, head slightly bowed and gazing sideways at the viewer with a lifeless expression. While the brownish-green pigments and somber palette seemed unusual for the artist who is known for his bright blues and yellows, the palette and brushwork are actually consistent with other works dating from the summer and autumn of 1889, which make sense within the context of the work’s execution.

The work is currently on view on the third floor of the Van Gogh Museum, and will be included in the museum’s upcoming exhibition of artists’s portraits, “In the Picture,” beginning February 21. After the exhibition closes in May, the work will return to Oslo where the Nasjonalmuseet is slated to reopen after renovations in 2021.

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Pierre Bonnard - The Splendid French Painter: By Annette Labedzki

One of the most renowned French painters & printmakers, Pierre Bonnard was especially famous for his ingenious experimentation with color. He though, was not revolutionary in his style of painting, but he definitely was a master in portraying human emotions through colors. His fluency with colors fetched critical acclaim and appreciation from all art lovers.

Pierre Bonnard was born on October 03, 1867, in Fontenay-aux-Roses near Paris, to a highly placed French Ministry official. His childhood was therefore, spent in luxury and accordingly he had a very careless and idyllic youth. Due to parental pressure, Bonnard graduated in law and practiced briefly. He however, was always interested in art and took extra courses for the same during his free time. On March 11, 1887, he enrolled at the Scole des Beaux-Arts and resolved to be a full time artist.

In his youth, Pierre Bonnard co-founded a group of young 'Symbolic' and 'Spiritual' artists, called Les Nabis. He exhibited his works as a Nabi in the Gallery of Le Barc de Boutteville. During this phase, he heavily experimented with patterns in textile & furniture, while also exhibiting a Japanese effect in his work. His friends even lovingly called him 'a highly Nipponized Nabi.' In March and April 1891, Pierre first exhibited his work at the Société des Artistes Independants, gathering the much-needed support from all art critics. From then on, he exhibited yearly with the society.

In 1893, Pierre married Marthe de Méligny, who later modeled for a majority of his paintings. He obsessively portrayed her in her routine activities, stretching up to covering her nude. His works post marriage, therefore, turned quite personal in essence. Some of the famous paintings of those times include "Indolence" (1899) and "Man and Woman" (1900). In 1896, he had his first solo show at Galerie Durand-Ruel. Here, the great French artist Toulouse-Lautrec appreciated his award- winning poster. In 1910, Pierre left Paris for Southern France.

All the while, the painting range of the artist spanned from portraits to still life and landscapes. Bonnard would transform the mundane, simplest day-to-day objects into vibrating, iridescent, faintly represented subjects in his paintings. Small brush strokes imparted a marked influence of 'Surreal' mystery in them. The distinctive thing about Bonnard's paintings was the genuine time warp in them. The same objects in the room, such as tablecloths, teapots, and platters, rotated through the paintings. The subjects looked faint, creating a bizarre mystery. Some such renowned paintings are "The White Interior" (1932), "Still Life with Fruit" (1936), "The Dining Room in the Country" (1913), "Woman in Front of a Mirror" (1908), and "The Terrasse Family" (1902).

The artist died on January 23, 1947, leaving behind a great legacy of art. Pierre's passion for art is evident in his use of color with much vivacity and emotions. In 1998, his works were exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The series of his paintings was titled, "Pierre Bonnard: The Late Interiors." He once quoted, "Before you add color, you must see things once, or see them a thousand times."

Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art . Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com

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Painting Styles - Painting Has Undergone Variety Of Experiments

Paintings manifest the thoughts and visions of human beings through the language of art. A wide array of painting styles, methods and techniques has enhanced the horizon of painting making it more enriched and versatile. Painting has undergone variety of experiments under the hands of the master artists, which resulted into a vast selection of painting styles. The core philosophy behind the artwork, the painting styles introduce us to the various movements and schools of art. A single style also serves as a record of a particular historical period and culture prevalent during the time. Painters generally opt a particular painting style and carve their portraits typifying that specific style. Hence it is very necessary to read the various painting styles to understand the subtle strokes of each artwork.

The painting styles are visible with the emergence of 'Romanesque Art' in the eleventh century. The Romanesque paintings characterized by decorative leaf motifs are to be viewed in all Roman imperial structures. The 'Gothic Style of Paintings' evolved in the mid twelfth century in the form of frescos, panel paintings, manuscripts and stained glasses.

Oil and canvas paintings became popular in the later time with the origin of the 'Renaissance Style of Art' in the fourteenth century. Art became more realistic and secular through linear forms, anatomical shapes and use of light and shadow. The legendaries of paintings Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were artists of the Renaissance period. 'Baroque Style of Painting' evolved in the seventeenth century with the 'Baroque Cultural Movement'. Highly passionate, the paintings enlivened an ongoing action into art.

The 'Impressionism' of the nineteenth century world is articulated through 'Impressionistic Paintings'. Ordinary themes from the nature and surrounding world were painted through distinct brush strokes. 'Pointillism' invoked a new technique of painting where tiny dots of primary colors were blended to form an image creating an impression of miscellaneous colors. 'Expressionistic Paintings' of the early twentieth century are artistic expressions of subjective emotions that painters experience from the subjective world.

Among the modern styles of paintings, 'Cubism' is popular. A precursor to abstract painting 'Cubic Paintings' introduced geometric shapes and figures as images. Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Marc Chagall are the noted painters of Cubism. Another famous painting style during the1920s was the 'Surrealistic Paintings'. The painters used beautiful images and incongruous juxtapositions to represent unconscious thoughts and dreams. The 'Dada Painting Styles' of the time of the First World War represented art works that conveyed a nihilistic attitude towards conventionalism. The paintings were a revolt against the aesthetic and contemporary style of art.

Abstract Painting is perhaps the most difficult and complex of all painting styles. Painting is portrayed in an objective and non-representational way through colors and lines. The paints are dropped, lined and smeared over the canvas generating an idea non-captured in image form. Jackson Pollock, Pier Mondrian and Barnett Newman are some famous abstract painters. Abstract Expressionism is an art movement of the post World War II. It emphasized the non-representational style of abstract art in a more audacious and dramatic way. Postmodern Art reflects the modern consumerism and the contemporary culture in the paintings. It rejects the elaborately narrative depictions of the modern art and emphasizes more on the insincerity and discontinuity that is more feasible in the present day.

For comprehensive information on paintings and related topics, please visit Ethnic Paintings

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History of Western Paintings - The Ancient Near East

Palaeolithic people led an unsettled life; this nomadic society of hunters and gatherers has little control over their food supply. Beginning around 8000 B.C. however, people began to grow their own food, raise their own animals, and organise into permanent communities. Although, like their Palaeolithic predecessors, the Neolithic people (from neos, meaning "new" in Greek) used stone to make basic weapons and tolls, organised agriculture and animal husbandry left more time and labour for other activities, including the production of clay vessels. Since their size and weight made them difficult to carry, clay vessels are characteristic of stationary communities.

Neolithic villages made their first appearance in the Near East, an area consisting roughly of modern-day Turkey, Iraq and Iran. A late example of Neolithic painted pottery from this region is a beaker from Susa (present day Shush in Iran) dating to c. 4000 B.C. The highly abstracted animal forms contained within patterned borders are common to many works of art from this area. Decoration takes precedence over naturalism to create designs with beautiful stylised animals, such as the thin band of elongated dogs beneath a frieze of graceful long necked birds around the top of the beaker, and the marvellous ibex with circular horns, it's body composed of two curved triangles, that dominates the large central portion. In contrast with Palaeolithic depictions of animals, which may represent attempts to control the animal kingdom, animals, now domesticated, seem simply to decorate this Neolithic vase.

The Paleolithic peoples who created cave paintings were monadic hunters and gathers. Neolithic culture (New Stone Age), which first appeared in the Near East c. 8000 B.C. is characterised by settled villages, domesticated plants and aminals, and the crafts of pottery and weaving. The highly abstracted, stylised animals forms, representative of the "Animal Style", and patterns decorating this Neolithic beaker from Iran are commonly found in workds from the ancient Near East. An ibex (wild coat), with enlarged, circular horns and a body consisting of two curved triangles, decorates the centre of this vessel. The top band contains skinny, long-necked birds, and, directly below, a band of elongated dogs encircle the beaker.

The early Neolithic agricultural communities gradually evolved into more complex societies, with systems of government, law, formal religion, and, perhaps most importantly, the first appearance of writing, thus marking the end of prehistory and the beginning of recorded history. The political structures alternated between conglomerations of independently ruled city-states and centralised governments under a single leader.

The city-states of the Near East frequently fought one another. In addition, the lack of natural barriers made the area particularly vulnerable to invasion. This almost constant warfare was a frequent subject of art. A further destabilising factor was the unpredictable climate; floods, drought, storms, and the like plagued the inhabitants of this region. This, they understandably tended to worry considerably about survival in this world - a world of invasions, political instability and natural catastrophes.

From about the fourth millennium B.C. the Sumerians inhabited southern Mesopotamia, a Greek place name meaning "the land between the rivers", that is the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. They invented the wheel and a form of writing in which a stylus, usually a length of reed cut at an angle, was used to impress characters on wet clay. Cuneiform, meaning "wedge shaped", which aptly describes the appearance of this writing, has been deciphered; our ability to read ancient Mesopotamian texts makes the ancient art of the region more accessible to the contemporary viewer than the art of prehistoric societies. Ancient near Eastern images usually have clearly structured compositions, ground-lines and readable narratives emphasising human beings, their history, and their relation to their gods and goddesses. All of these characteristics enable us to interpret the art more easily than the more elusive prehistoric cave paintings discussed earlier.

Neolithic village communities in the ancient Near East gradually developed into complex city-states, which were often politically unstable societies almost contstantly at war with east other and against invading peoples. War and victory are frequent subjects of ancient Near Eastern art. This image, an inlaid panel from the side of a box, may show an actual historical event, depicting the aftermath of war, with a victorious banquet scene in the top register. Historical narrative and a clear, formal composition distinguish this image from prehistoric cave paintings.

The various city states that comprised ancient Sumer were often at war with one another. The so called Standard of Ur is a box, the function of which is not known, that was found in a royal cemetery among daggers, helmets, and other military regalia. The box displays scenes of both war and peace, probably episodes of specific historical events. Stylistically, the depictions of human form in the Standard of Ur resemble those we will see in other ancient cultures. Frontal and profile views are combined in a single figure, emphasising the conceptual over the illusionistic, and the size of a figure directly corresponds to his importance; on the Standard of Ur, the seated, regal figure in the top row is bigger than this standing before him. Also typical is the arrangement of figures in the bands. There is little overlapping of forms, or any indication of a setting, resulting in a very two dimensional image. This straightforward, regimented presentation of figures contrasts markedly with the informal arrangement of imagery in prehistoric caves.
Priest Guiding a Sacrificial Bull

Among the most famous achievements of the Mesopotamians are the construction and decoration of the Ishtar Gate, originally one of the main entryways to the ancient city of Babylon (Iraq). Babylon had been the political and cultural capital of Mesopotamia under Hammurabi, and towards the end of the seventh century B.C. with the decline of the Assyrians - probably the most powerful people to dominate Mesopotamia and the surrounding regions - The Babylonians reasserted their power. The best known ruler of this Neo-Babylonian period was Nebuchadnezzar II (ruled 604-562 B.C.), the famed leader mentioned in the Old Testament who was responsible for building the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as well as the Ishtar Gate, now reassembled in Berlin. The Ishtar Gate and the walls lining the Processional Way (the street leading from the Gate) were faced with glazed brick. Sacred animals, also of glazed brick - among them, lions, associated with the Goddess Ishtar, and dragons, sacred to Marduk, the patron God of Babylon - and these geometric borders ornamented both the Gate and Processional Way. The somewhat stylized forms of these animals, and their rhythmic arrangement within the decorative borders, recall the Neolithic vase from Susa, with which we began our discussion of the art of the ancient Near East.

Colin Andrews is the Director of Aspect Art Ltd, an on-line exporter of the highest quality reproduction oil paintings, http://www.aspectart.com

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Brushstrokes (Part 3) - The Modern Era

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Brushstrokes (Part 1) - The Early Masters

German Expressionist Painter - George Grosz

As did many of the German artists of the time George Grosz fought in the trenches of WWI, having volunteered for military service. In 1915 he was discharged on medical grounds however he was drafted in the January of 1917 due to the shortage of soldiers, where he did not fight but guarded and transported prisoners of war, but by the May he was given permanent discharge as he was unfit for duty after a suicide attempt forced them to diagnose shell shock. Having faced his own disillusionment about the nature of war he turned his attention the bourgeoisies of 1920s Germany and painted a series of mocking caricatures of them and those who were in support of war.

He provided illustrations for German left-wing publications through his involvement with the German Dada group, and became a member of the KPD, the German communist party in 1919. He was arrested during the Spartacist uprising which marked the end of the German revolution, but he escaped using fake identification papers. In 1921 he was accused of insulting the army and was fined 300 German marks and had his work Gott Mit uns, God With Us - a satire condemning German Society - destroyed.

After spending five months in Russia meeting with people like Trotsky and Lenin he left the KPD, unwilling to live under any sort of dictator and as such his politics were strongly ant-Nazi. He was invited by the Art Studies League of New York to teach there in 1933, just at the time when the Nazis came to power. He received word that they had been to his apartment and his studio looking for him and so he stayed in America, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1938. During this time his work become more romantic and to many this signaled a decline.

He continued to teach, forming a private art school in his own home during the 1950s and he worked as an artist in residence. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1954. He returned to Berlin where he died after a fall down some stairs in 1959.

Works: Suicide 1916

Fit For Active Service 1918

Grey Day 1921

The Face of the Ruling Class 1921

The Eclipse of the Sun 1928

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The Greatest Renaissance Painter and Engraver of All Time

When Albrecht Durer died in 1528 he left some 80 paintings, over 100 etchings, about 200 wood carvings and 800 drawings behind as his cultural legacy. His artwork has deep stories and hidden inner meanings of which many have only been theorized on. Below are some of his works and the theories on the meaning behind them.

Knight, Death and the Devil (also known as The Rider):

An engraving carved in 1513 by Durer, Knight, Death and the Devil, also known as The Rider, represents an allegory on Christian salvation. Unflustered either by Death who is standing in front of him with his hour-glass, or by the Devil behind him, an armored knight is riding along a narrow defile, accompanied by his loyal hound. This represents the steady route of the faithful, through all of life's injustice, to God who is symbolized by the castle in the background. The dog symbolizes faith, and the lizard religious zeal. The horse and rider, like other preliminary studies made by Durer, are derived from the canon of proportions drawn up by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Knight and the Landsknecht (Soldier Servant):

This woodcut was created in about 1497. It has been suggested by Friedlander (universally recognized as the greatest expert on Dutch and German paintings) that the subject is Saul on the way to Damascus to pursue the Christians who had fled Jerusalem.

Three Peasants in Conversation (Marketplace Peasants):

This scene has been connected by a number of commentators to the peasant uprisings of the period. It should be remembered, however, that Durer's wife Agnes sold her husband's woodcuts and engravings in a stall in the market square of Nurenberg , as well as at the fairs in other cities. Peasants were ever-present at these events, as vendors as well as buyers. The sword which the pheasant uses for a cane is similarly used as a satirical accessory in Martin Schongauer's engraving, Pheasant Family Going to to Market.

This engraving is related to the Sol Justitiae and to the Rustic Couple in technique, especially in the horizontal shading devoid of crosshatching.

The original plate was sold to Prince Dolgorouky, a Russian collector, in 1852. Its present wherabouts is not known. An impression of this engraving is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Peasant Couple Dancing (also known as Dancing Peasants):

There are different views and theories on what Durer intended by this image.

Koehler describes this print succinctly as follows: For individuality and for the happy expression of a transient mood in face as well as pose, these Dancing Pheasants are quite as much without rivals in Durer's oeuvre as knight, Death, and Devil.

Wolfflin comments that in spite of the elephantine stamping of their feet, the impression and the form are magnificent. The pheasants are not shown sneeringly as earlier, but as a character study.

Tietze finds that the group fills the picture area in a magnificent manner and, in spite of the massiveness, a feeling of their being swept off their feet is conveyed.

But Panofsky, in contrast, commented that it is a spectacle of statuesque heaviness and immobility; unambitious in content.

Evelyn Whitaker writes articles for German Toasting Glasses http://www.german-toasting-glasses.com which specializes in custom engraved wedding gifts from Germany.

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