Vincent Van Gogh's Fritillaries In A Copper Vase

Vincent Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter whose work highly impacted 20th century art. His works had a distinct stylistic theme that had a sort of melting effect within them. Many of them also included his iconic swirls that provided as a base for backgrounds. Out of his 900 paintings, only a few incorporated solid shapes and lines. Looking at his works, I tried to imagine dancing them. I found that the swirls could serve as a trajectory for different body parts or pathways, and the almost lackadaisical way in which he meshed colors inspired a smooth movement quality. One of his painting, Fritillaries in a Copper Vase, especially stood out to me choreographically. The way in the flowers laid downward reminded me of hands potentially
picking up the air with their movement, along with undulations of the spine, contracting away from spaces. The green “stems”, although still squiggles, perhaps being sharp lines with the legs and arms, or the head leading someone in a curve like manner throughout the room. Another one of his paintings, Chaumes de Cordeville, particularly captured my attention as it was an exaggerated example of the melting effect Van Gogh placed on his works.
The whole village, sky, and mainland were painted at an angle with curves that gave the whole aesthetic a haunted vibe. An orange sliver that resembled what I interpreted as a person, had a depressing demeanor that contributed to this as well. I appreciated how Van Gogh was able to create a recognizable image of a landscape, without having to use traditional shapes or lines, and it reminded me of the way I prefer to improvise movement. It seemed as though when he painted, structure wasn’t a necessity and he was able to move his brush freely, without too much thought. I think this is something that gives his style a unique appeal, for it gives a more natural blend of colors, yet he still finds a way to subtly outline certain objects within his images. In relation to dance, this painting’s movement would be continuous with circular patterns, playing with instrumentation and levels. Using a soft, light style I would try to integrate solid outlines with my arms and hands, carving shapes throughout the space. Another theme within Van Gogh’s works was the dotting technique used in works such as the version of Starry Night that’s located in the Musee D’Orsay. Considering how he used his brush to produce these dots, this intrigued me. It made me think of a dancer jabbing their way through space with their
feet or elbows. Or even the fingers crawling out different images in the air or on the floor. Van Gogh’s works provide for quite a bit of movement inspiration, for the way he moved his brush was made visible within his works. Although I’ll never know for certain, it was easy for me to imagine my own interpretation of how he used his hands to created strokes of paint. Observing these images up close, it made me recognize how similar painting and dance can be, the brush being the dancer and the canvas, the space being filled.