Thursday, January 19, 2017
Family Dynamics
Katherine Thornton
Rachel's insecurities at the beginning of her relationship with Vincent branch from her damaged relationship with her family. Both of Rachel's parents died and she went to live with her sister. Rachel developed a relationship with the boy and eventually had sex with him. Rachel's sister was ashamed and shunned her. Rachel's sister saw this as Rachel giving herself away to this boy. Rachel was then forced to become a prostitute because she needed a way to support herself. Her lack of a father figure made it difficult for her to trust men. Unfortunately, this is not a trend of this time period, it is something that still happens today. Her unhealthy relationship with family caused her relationship to slightly struggle in the beginning. Family dynamics were very traditional in Europe in the late 19th century. The Father was typically took on the role of the breadwinner. It was a father's role to earn money to support the family. The mother stayed at home and took care of the family and household chores. Daughters were trained starting at an early age to fulfill the role of a woman in a household. Since Rachel's parents died and she lived with her sister, she didn't have the upbringing that society considered normal. Rachel had to work in order to trust Vincent and be comfortable with him.
Extra Links
http://www.localhistories.org/vicwomen.html
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255/la/family.html
"The Bedroom"
Modified : 1/19/17 By: Mohammad Ishtiaq
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/28560The bedroom painting is one of 3 paintings done by Vincent during his time living in his yellow house. Here he painted what he imagined his house being used as a studio for painters to come and go and make famous pieces of art. This dream can be seen throughout the book called "Sunflowers". His use of bright colors let the painting pop out t the viewer and make the room seem like an ordinary room with a twist. There are paintings on the walls signifying a painter and some food on the table meaning someone lived there. The brush strokes are very heavy and looked like they were done one at a time side by side.
Being a Foreigner During This Time
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| Photo credit: Thomas Hawk via Foter.com / CC BY-NC |
Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat
Modified: 1/19/2017
During the late 19th century, based on how the red-haired man in a yellow straw hat was treated, foreigners were often isolated from the society. In the book, Vincent Van Gogh was known to be from the Netherlands, so many of the French people would look at him as a crazy outsider. This caused Van Gogh to be a lot kinder to those like Rachel, because Rachel was a prostitute, making her seem like an outsider.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
"Cafe Terrace at Night"
Cafe Terrace at Night (1888)
Oil on Canvas
Katherine Thornton
Sheramy Bundrick incorporated Vincent Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night"into the love story between Rachel and Vincent. This painting was done in mid September of 1888 in Arles, France. The painting depicts the lively but peaceful scene of the cafe's night life. The bright yellow of the cafe and the strong blue of the sky compliment each other making for a beautiful painting. Van Gogh uses darker colors when painting the buildings in the background to create depth in the walkway. In creating the pathway, which appear to be cobblestones, Van Gogh used a large palette of colors. This gave the painting lot of dimension. The transition of colors in the cobblestones draws the viewer's eye to follow the cobblestones. Bundrick incorporated this painting into the love story to show Rachel's attention to detail when it comes to Vincent's paintings. When she sees this painting she is presented with a few other paintings as well. She compares the different methods Vincent used in the paintings. Sine her relationship with Vincent has blossomed, Rachel seems to pay attention to smaller details and as a result she has a deeper understanding of Vincent's art. Vincent seems quite pleased that Rachel is more invested in his art and understanding it. Vincent's creative side is a strong part of who who is and it is essential that Rachel connects with this part of him. This painting is woven into the story to show that the two characters are beginning to blend into each other's worlds. It's beautiful.
Extra Links
http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0467.htm
http://think.iafor.org/why-vincents-cafe-terrace-at-night-is-a-symbolist-last-supper/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/vincent-van-gogh-last-supper-cafe-terrace-at-night-275282
"Irises"
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| Irises (1890) Photo credit: Sharon Mollerus via Foter.com / CC BY |
The painting Irises shows a bouquet of spring flowers in a pitcher. Vincent Van Gogh painted this piece before checking himself out of the asylum. On the first page of Chapter 29, page 263, it states, "I am working like one actually possessed... And I think that this will help cure me." This is a quote from one of the letters sent by Van Gogh to his brother, Theo. This shows the reason why Irises was painted along with other paintings. To Van Gogh, painting was the source to his sanity, keeping him from going crazy. He believed that if he only focused on his work and paintings, that will cure him from his depression. The painting here portrays colors of the season of spring.
"The Brothel"
http://www.vincent-van-gogh-gallery.org/the-brothel.html
"The Brothel" depicts a prostitution house scene, particularly before clients pursue what they came for. They are shown at a table sharing alcoholic beverages and speaking to one another. This heavily relates to the book considering the conflict that took place between Vincent and Rachel. Vincent asked to paint her in a brothel scene, however she was not comfortable with that because she did not want to be known as a prostitute. Vincent insisted that he would not make her known, hence the significance of this painting. The symbolism of Rachel's embarrassment with her profession is very evident. This painting was created in 1888 and is an oil on canvas. There are many loose vertical brushstrokes on the wall and floor, and overall loose color on the dresses shows Impressionism at its finest. The painting's mismatched colors also shows technique and methods of Impressionism. Brothels were very common for the time period, and socially shunned by the upper class. This kind of discrimination is seen commonly throughout the book as Rachel is usually stared at and looked down upon in public.
"The Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine"
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| The Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine (1888) Oil on Canvas |
Vincent Van Gogh painted "The Night Cafe in the place Lamartine" in September of 1888 in Arles. The painting shows a still of the interior of Cafe de la Gare. Vincent is passionate about painting this cafe and sees the art of humanity within the wee hours of the cafe. To him, there is a form of beauty in this cafe that makes it exciting for him to attempt to capture in a painting. Rachel initially does not see this. To Rachel, this cafe is tacky and unpleasant. The painting shows a number of people in the cafe that are down and out on their luck who don't have a place to go for the night. In a way, it is also nostalgic for her since she used to be one of those people. The painting includes wooden tables and chairs scattered around the perimeter and a large pool table in the center. On almost every table, there are quite a few bottles of alcohol. To depict the cafe, Vincent uses bright greens, reds, and golds. Rachel points out that this is not an accurate depiction of the cafe. Vincent goes on to explain why he depicted the cafe the way he did. He used these wildly contrasting colors to depict what he saw in this cafe. He uses soft brushstrokes to counteract the strong contrasting colors. It creates a hazed feeling in the cafe. This painting is important for the way it allows Vincent to open up about his artistic process. Rachel can see things through his eyes and in a way that makes them closer. This painting teaches Rachel about this side of Vincent that she has yet to know
Extra Links
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/night-cafe.html
http://www.vangogh.net/the-night-cafe.jsp
http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/533.htm
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