©2002
A.L. Book
All rights reserved. All images are copyrighted and protected under copyright laws. Any reproduction, in any format, including derivative works is prohibited.
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A Study of Van Gogh’s Public Garden at Arles
2001, acrylic on board, 22 x 28 inches
What more can be said about the value of studying Vincent Van Gogh. Has any other artist touched so many people--artist and non-artist alike--the world over? Color. Stroke. Composition. Accomplishment in any one of these areas could make an artist memorable, yet Van Gogh defines them all. Who could have imagined life without complimentary colors? How was art forever affected by the wild, circular strokes of Starry, Starry Night? Would self-portraits ever be the same after this erratic, ear-less artist?
In my studies of Art History, I found most value in Northern Renaissance Realism. I just could not see what all the hubbub was about concerning this Van Gogh character. Why were his paintings so famous? Didn’t an ability to realistically emulate something on canvas define true talent?
Then, I left my comfortable studies, life happened, and the universal, human experience gave me the same eyes that allow many the world over to relish Van Gogh’s works. I finally understood why some art becomes famous. In the end, the only things that matter are things we can relate to—paintings that touch our emotions, break our hearts, or draw us back in time to a memory that we recall as clearly as yesterday. Van Gogh understood us better than we understand ourselves: we all just want to belong.
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| All photographs taken by Theodore L. Book, Sr. My thanks to Ted L. Book, Jr. for his assistance in setting up this website. Thanks to all my family and friends for your support in this first ever show of my paintings!
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