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author

Hi Erik, thanks a lot for this; I saw the review of the exhibition in one of the London papers and am dying to go. There was a mini-Arles exhibition here in Milan recently which I adored and it reminded of the couple of days I've spent happily in the Amsterdam museum. By my standards, he is head and shoulders the greatest painter ever; it isn't even that close! Very pleased to be taking about him soon--let me know what you make of the exhibit.

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Oct 19Liked by John Hulsman

I figured out how to broadcast your Substacks on our home wireless speakers !

As always my approach is learn the broad strokes of your Substacks, supplement with reading and then listening to the Substack again. The broad strokes is the ideology. You can’t be rational with someone who is not. MT was correct!

Great idea for The Culture!!!!

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author

Yes its my impression (pardon the pun) that the brushstrokes got rougher as his mental health decreased; the early social realist work is smoother and more conventional, if still magical (think 'The potato eaters') we ought to do a whole series on him at some point Erik, to delve into some of this. However, for now we will have a snapshot of his finest work at Arles . But he surely deserves a culture series.

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author

Hi Terri, yes, that's one theory as to his entirely unique brush strokes; likewise the shimmering light in many of his pictures is posited as a sign of schizophrenia. None of this can be proven but there is no doubt his mental anguish is part in parcel of his genius in some direct way. I look forward to that podcast!

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founding

Van Gogh in Arles and in the asylum in Saint-Rémy-en-Provence in the National Gallery London right now.

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/van-gogh-poets-and-lovers

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I read somewhere that his mental anguish was the reason for his unusual, characteristic brush strokes.

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founding

His approach evolved over time, so this would be one angle to investigate. Does he make rougher strokes towards the end; I suspect the answer is yes. Whereas the roughness in no way reduces or inhibits the depiction (this in common with other impressionists).

The later generations of painters (take Kandinsky) gave up on depiction.

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Yes, Kandinsky being more Abstract. Total amateur here, but Abstract is not my favorite. To each his own, I mean no disrespect to those who enjoy it.

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author

Hey Terri, what I think Van Gogh does so well is straddle the line; his paintings are impressionistic (hence a little abstract) but not so much as to dilute their everyday power. For my money he is easily the greatest painter ever, totally unique, entirely unforgettable and we will look at him at his artist height (and emotional low) in Arles. Very pleased so many are behind the new series and speak soon!

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