17 Comments
User's avatar
John Hulsman's avatar

Interesting, to me its transcending that, that shines through

Expand full comment
John Hulsman's avatar

Hey Rob, thanks for the kind words about this; its always great to find time for the culture section--the change of pace is good for both my soul and the creative process. Thanks for the link--I hope to get over sometime in the first quarter and will be sure to give it a go if its still on. Merry Christmas right back, John

Expand full comment
John Hulsman's avatar

I think of it this way; realism is how you deal with the challenges to the miracle of western civilisation-you are rational, decisive, and even ruthless in pursuing natinal interests and further the western cause. You are these things with the external world precisely not to be them internally--with family, friends, and the fruits of life, of which art and beauty are among the greatest. We are realists precisely to protect the things that really matter, as we say at the top of the culture section.

Expand full comment
John Hulsman's avatar

Yes, Terri, he perfectly satisfies the heart as well as the head!

Expand full comment
Erik Vynckier's avatar

The "bandaged ear" is in the Courtauld Institute, Somerset House (London).

Expand full comment
Terri's avatar

Looks like a beautiful museum, I went to the website.

Expand full comment
John Hulsman's avatar

Its extraordinary; it houses more than half the world's Van Gogh output. Better still it links what he was seeing, reading, 'taking in,' with the world he was doing. I've never been to a museum that better linked the artists 'process' with his work

Expand full comment
Terri's avatar

Can you imagine the anguish one would be experiencing to cut your ear off and send it to someone?

Expand full comment
Erik Vynckier's avatar

In all honesty, I cannot. I stand in front of it a lot as it is walking distance from my home on the South Bank and I am a (sponsoring) "friend" of the Institute. To me it seems intense mental illness that drove him, and I have not experienced that.

Expand full comment
Kieran Wilson's avatar

Maybe art (in all its guises and forms) challenges and keeps in check the absolutist notion that the ends always justify the means.

Expand full comment
Terri's avatar

Again, as a complete amateur on the subject. When I view a painting, the litmus test for me is….”do I feel an emotion?” Van Gogh passes the test….

Expand full comment
Rob Witcombe's avatar

Hi John, thank you for another fantastic podcast, this was a nice change of pace from how frenetic things have been recently. I took my family to a Van Gogh exhibition called The Van Gogh Alive Experience here in Manchester a couple of years ago. It was incredible, rather than simply looking at his art they managed to bring it to life in ways that you really have to experience. The tour is still in London and i have included the link below. I know London isn't exactly an easy trip from Milan but you would love it!

https://vangoghexpo.com/london/

Merry Christmas, Rob :-)

Expand full comment
Simon Murphy's avatar

Thanks for the link - have just booked and am heading there tonight.

Simon

Expand full comment
John Hulsman's avatar

Dear Rob and Simon, great, glad you guys could do this over the community chat; Simon, let me know what you make of it

Expand full comment
Simon Murphy's avatar

Will do!

Expand full comment
Simon Murphy's avatar

Fun night at the expo last night with the girlfriend, and it was worth the trip out to East London, but almost certainly it’s going to be a better experience for a family than a serious lover of Van Gogh as the Immersion sections (the paint your own VVG and virtual reality goggles) were targeted towards a younger audience.

£25pp for 80 mins wasn’t too bad and overall we enjoyed it - but I’d be reluctant to recommend flying from

Milan to see it.

Will do the museum when I’m in Amsterdam next (and am a little embarrassed to say I haven’t done it yet!).

Expand full comment
John Hulsman's avatar

Hey Simon, thanks for the report; glad you and the girlfriend enjoyed it. I'll try to catch it next time I'm over anyway, Yes, you'll love the msetedam museum; one of my favourite 3 in the world (along with the Louvre and the Vatican Library)

Expand full comment