Pointillism

Has everyone heard of Van Gogh?
He is one of the most popular artists of the western cultural tradition.
His paintings are some of the most treasured pieces of art and have sold for hundreds of millions, but during his lifetime he was shunned and his works were ignored. He was a shy and introverted, he spoke 4 languages and was well read but he lived and worked as a peasant.
He was born march 30, 1853 in Groot-Zunbert which is a small Dutch village.
His full birth name was Vincent Willem van Gogh
He was the oldest child of 6.
Little is known about his early education
At the age of 15 with his family facing financial hardship,
The museum thing did not work out, as I found out most of his jobs
Van Gogh’s father was a pastor so leaning on his religious upbringing he decided
He failed at romance, failed at finances and finally committed suicide.
So why is he so important?
Vincent was a self taught artist that used the early inspirations from the museum and the surrounds of his life.
Putting aside his mental state Van Gogh saw and felt passion in his art. He created images of desire and inhumane experiences. Images of the evil that men succumb to and when viewing these images you really can’t help having a compassionate response to them.

Van Gogh also lived out the stereotype of the crazy artist. So I think he satisfies some stereotypical expectations that our culture has imposed on artist.

* Pointillism - is a technique of applying paint in a pattern of different colored dots. From a distance the eye does not see the dots individually and the colors blend together to form an image. Van Gogh painted a "Self Portrait" in 1887 using this method. The lively effect of the dots and color in this image contrast sharply with his dour expression. * Impasto - The word "'impasto'" is Italian "dough" or "mixtureis a technique of spreading paint thickly onto the canvas with a palette knife or brush so that the strokes are visible. Van Gogh used this technique often, but it is notably effective in his painting "Starry Starry Night" where the swirling brushstrokes of the stars and clouds in the sky create a sense of rapid movement. Van Gogh worked instinctively and quickly and this distinctive brushwork is a recurring theme in his paintings. First, it makes the light reflect in a particular way, giving the artist additional control over the play of light on the painting. Second, it can add expressiveness to the painting, the viewer being able to notice the strength and speed applied by the artist. Third, impasto can push a painting into a three dimensional sculptural rendering