Visual Art: Art Appreciation

You have seen his paintings! You might not have known it at the time, but the painting in the Alex Library is a study of "Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh.
 
You might even have seen prints of his work in the set decor on tv shows and in movies. All thanks to his brother and niece, who rescued his work from his studio after his death and preserved it for the future. You may have seen/be able to watch "Loving Vincent". An animated movie where every cell is an oil painting in the style of Van Gogh's work. The company Coronation used Van Gogh's life and work, as well as the song "Vincent" by Don McLean, in an advert to show how things of value may only reveal themselves much later. 
 
Listen to the song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk
Watch the advert at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byyv0Yb7Qt8
 
During his lifetime Vincent van Gogh's work was misunderstood and unappreciated by collectors of art, because he painted with a passion and emotion, which was considered untidy and undisciplined. His expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colours were ahead their time! His most famous work was done in a relatively short period of time before his death and shows how prolific (produced many pieces) an artist he was.
 
There are many myths and stories around his life, but in your notes you will find the main biographical points of interest, for this section. It is important to note that Van Gogh has been copied, studied and his tragedy used in songs and adverts in recent times. We can now look back and see exactly where his work fits into the history and the development of art. We are able to appreciate his talent and vision, because we can see how it influenced artists and movements following the Post-Impressionists in art history.
Study the paintings in the pdf document attached (note the dates). 
Try to match them to the words of the song on p 38.
Read, underline and answer the questions in your worksheets - use the memo as a guide to help you.
 
Lesson Preparation: 
Prepare a paragraph of ten (10) lines discussing your favourite OR least favourite Van Gogh painting.
Give reasons for your choice.
Say what you think the painting means OR what you think Vincent wanted to say with this painting.
 
NOT COMPULSORY.
Baby Van Gogh A World of Colour https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7v7y5z
Music and art can evoke (call up) emotion. On p 35-36 is an exercise which illustrates this. 
Follow the link above to compare a Van Gogh painting with the mood words (in the poems) we associate with a particular colour. You can also listen to the music for that painting and decide if the mood in the painting matches the mood music.