EXHIBITION

---

Van Gogh Museum - Amsterdam - Contest 2015

The post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh was suffering from depression. He is known for having used natural substances for self-treatment, resulting in averse side-effects caused by chronic overdose (ref. e.g.: Medical Toxicology -page 1751). Two substances in particular are said to be contributing to his artistic life:

(1) • St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum), in modern pharmacology known as digoxin, resulting in blurred and yellowed vision. The  yellow color  is therefore dominant in some of his most reknown works, like the Sunflowers and Wheatfields.

(2) • Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), which he even painted in his Still Life with Absinthe, 1887. It induces side effects as psychosis and hallucinations. The uneven heart rate (induced as a side-effect of St John's wort) might have been perceived as an internal attack within a state of psychosis. This combination is thought to be the reason why Vincent shot himself through his heart.

Although impressionists have greatly influenced my style of painting, I'd rather call myself an expressionnist. Like Vincent states "By closing your eyes for the visible truth, inspiration can be found from within." That is how I create my work. Emotions, etherical vision and cosmic connections are materialized and transferred to the canvas. "The healing power of painting and the sower of truth."

The "Inspired by Van Gogh" contest offers the opportunity to share three works of art. I did choose for a tryptych (Dutch: "triptiek"). Although it is not in the way that Vincent used to combine three paintings by adding sidewings to the main central piece (Brieven aan zijn broeder). My triptych shows three stages of existence.

Zeebel (2011) 60 x 70 cm acryl on canvas	Sterrennest (2015) 120 x 160 cm acryl on canvas	Sterrenbloem (2013) 100 x 100 cm acryl on canvas
The origin	The development	The destination
Eerste schilderij van een triptiek (oorsprong-ontwikkeling-bestemming) gebaseerd op het lijden van Van Gogh en zijn verlangen naar troost verbeeld in zijn werk Pietà (naar Delacroix). Een poort door de moederschoot, de innerlijke kristal openbrekend, een moeder die haar kinderen beschermt, veilig ontspint zich een web van zilverdraden, ontward en bevrijd, kristalhelder verbonden met de oerkracht van het bestaan.	Tweede schilderij van een triptiek (oorsprong-ontwikkeling-bestemming) gebaseerd op het verlangen van Van Gogh om naar de sterren te reizen. "Waarom, vraag ik me af, zouden de stralende stippen in de lucht niet net zo makkelijk te bereiken zijn als de zwarte stippen op de kaart van Frankrijk?" Afgebeeld is een sterrennest. Midden tussen de buigende aren staat het oer-nest waarin de cocons worden uitgebroed. Het sterrenzaad, gereed voor ontluiking. De geaarde, standvastige en gewortelde (levens)boom, staat binnen in een graancirkel (de 20e eeuw variant van het 19e eeuwse Korenveld met kraaien). De kosmische wervelwinden in de sterrennacht hebben deze graancirkels gevormd en beschermen de aardse ontkiemende sterrenzaden. In het oosten gloort de dageraad. In het westen het poollicht. De diagonale multi-dimensionale vortex zuigt het sterrenzaad door de kosmos. De boom spreidt zijn armen wijd om de sterren te omhullen.	Derde schilderij van een triptiek (oorsprong-ontwikkeling-bestemming). Afgebeeld is het sterrenzaad geïnspireerd op de zonnebloemen en de sterrennacht. Een bloem of een ster. Ingezoomd of uitgezoomd. Recht op, of op zijn "kop".

The middle piece "Sterrennest" is specifically created for this contest. Please check out the details and close-ups in the pictures below. Special attention is requested for "the making of" elaboration on the creation of the "Van Gogh Inspired" artwork. (Click on the arrow in the middle of that section to expand the information box.)

1 • Sterrennest | Resurrection
high-res (3264 x 4928 pix) 10.5 Mb	high-res (815 x 1099 pix) 6.5 Mb	high-res (3602 x 1922 pix) 5.0 Mb	high-res (1800 x 1324 pix) 1.0 Mb
title Sterrennest | Resurrection period © 2015 dimensions 120 x 160 cm material Acryl on canvas photography Roswitha van Vliet inspiration Starry night, Wheatfield with Crows, Crop circles technique Multi-layered paintbrush, spatula, opaque and translucent acryl on canvas. description Cosmos, whirlwind, Aurora - Tree, axis, nests - Hay, wheat, cropcircle. Typical "Van Gogh topics" are combined in one piece. The whirlwind in the starry night is transferring it's energy through the treebranches onto the cropcircles in the wheatfields. The wheat is bending. The horizon, like in Gerrit Benner's paintings, is fading. The boundaries between earth and cosmos are disappearing. The sunrise in the east is transforming into sunset in the west. The rooted tree is bending, adapting to the flow in the sky.
The making of... At Van Gogh's Studio Practice insight into the working method of Vincent is gathered. The way this specific, inspired by Van Gogh contest, piece of art was created is described in this section. High-res detailed pictures are listed. (click arrow to view). Vincent van Gogh description San Turn Us Van Gogh has painted wheatfields, blossoming trees, roots, birdsnests and the Kingfisher (Dutch: blauwe ijsvogel). From her backyard view, San studied these phenomenas in nature as well. The strongly rooted nascent tree, amidst a moving cropcircle, under a whirlwind in the sky, where all energy is flowing through a multi-dimensional vortex. All of these elements have been put into this painting, specifically created for this Inspired by Van Gogh contest. San carefully safeguarded her own style, not just copying Vincent's, thus creating a true original art work, honouring both Vincent's and San's expression of respect for nature. Van Gogh created a raster as a markup tool for perspective and distances between objects. Infrared reflectography shows carbon underdrawings and linings. Nowadays computers, software and modern HD (high-definition) projection techniques would be used for preliminary sketching. The outline for the sketch is created and manipulated digitally as an image file, using programs like Adobe Photoshop™. The resulting image is then projected on the canvas. With carbon pencil the markers can be put on the canvas. Using the markers on the canvas as an aid, a rough sketch can be drawn. In stead of working out the details, the first background layer of paint is put on the canvas. The paint is dilluted in order to add a buffering layer between the pre-prepaired canvas and the paint. Anticipating on removal of upperlayers of paint, a light layer is put underneath the more dark background in order to create luminancy and the effect of transendence. The goal is to create an experience for the viewer to be sucked up into the stars. The 19th century wheatfields are turned into 20th century crop-circles. The different types of brushstrokes of Van Gogh are being studied. Techniques applied are the brush, spatulas, knife and nails. Sometimes colored layers are added and sometimes layers are scratch away, in order to reveil the underlaying colors. Different values for transparancy and opacity are used. Colors are being mixed and a second layer of paint is added to the canvas. Where Van Gogh uses the sides and tips of brushes, a comparative effect with the spatula can be achieved. In this way the personal style of the artist is preserverd while adapting to inspiring influences of Van Gogh. Where Van Gogh uses three layers (ground, paint, varnish) San uses multiple layers on top of each other (and sometimes partially removed) in order to achieve a rich blend of colors seemingly transforming into one another. high-res: The Making Of (5792 x 1050 pix) 2.2 Mb More details of this picture. Note: these are very large files of 13 Mb and may take some time to load. Please be patient...
2 • Sterrenbloem
high-res (2621 x 2582 pix) 6.4 Mb	high-res (4256 x 2832 pix) 9.1 Mb	high-res (4255 x 1459 pix) 5.8 Mb
title Stardust period © 2013 dimensions 100 x 100 cm material Acryl on canvas photography Arno Prijs description Stardust, sterrenzaad inspiration   technique
3 • Zeebel
high-res (1816 x 2132 pix) 3.6 Mb	high-res (4222 x 2522 pix) 9.9 Mb	high-res (4256 x 2674 pix) 9.9 Mb	high-res (2658 x 1114 pix) 3.0 Mb
title Zeebel period © 2011 dimensions 60 x 70 cm material Acryl on canvas photography Arno Prijs description Primordial mother's whomb, uterus, baarmoeder, birth, geboorte inspiration   technique