The biggest difference is that no reenactments were used in
this film, like with David and Caravaggio. The only parts of reenactment that
were seen were those with the actual Van Gogh. I personally like the
reenactments in the film so I thought that Caravaggio’s video was more
interesting. The similarities were that Schama made the artist interesting and
went throughout details of their life. He explained why certain events in his
life affected the paintings he made. It was also similar in that Schama used
lighting and mood to make you feel a certain way. I felt bad for Van Gogh at
points and sympathized for his sanity. I think Schama has made me like
Caravaggio the most. And not because of Caravaggio himself, but because of the
way he made that film. I was interested the entire time and I liked the way
Schama portrayed Caravaggio, regardless of how dangerous or crazy. The
reenactments really helped put myself in that time period with the artist.
I thought the most interesting painting was “The Potato
Eaters.” Schama explains that this painting is the very beginning of what made
him a revolutionary artist. His “resume” of all the good things he has is
located in this painting. There are really dark colors and bold, thick lines.
He chose to pick really ugly and dark models on purpose to portray what the
peasants were really like. It controls my eye simply by being so dark. The
first thing I saw was the woman on the left looking at the other. She looks
lost and almost monotone. They appear as though they have nothing to live for.
The little shack and eating only potatoes gives off the impression that they
are extremely poor.
I thought the most interesting painting was “The Potato
Eaters.” Schama explains that this painting is the very beginning of what made
him a revolutionary artist. His “resume” of all the good things he has is
located in this painting. There are really dark colors and bold, thick lines.
He chose to pick really ugly and dark models on purpose to portray what the
peasants were really like. It controls my eye simply by being so dark. The
first thing I saw was the woman on the left looking at the other. She looks
lost and almost monotone. They appear as though they have nothing to live for.
The little shack and eating only potatoes gives off the impression that they
are extremely poor.
What is your favorite thing about Van Gogh?
There are SO MANY things that I love about Van Gogh. For one, his painting of sunflowers are some of my favorite, as sunflowers are my favorite flower and I like how each of those painting look different.
ReplyDeleteI also love the flowey-ness of his painting, espically starry night, another personal favorite.
I do too! I love starry night. That is one of my favorite paintings. I was trying to pick a painting for this blog that I have never seen, but it was difficult because I have studied Van Gogh before. I love his sunflower paintings too. He makes them each look individual even when most sunflowers look very similar. I like this about him.
ReplyDeleteWell, besides his paintings which were clearly ALL masterpieces....I like his sad life story. Without such a troubling and intense life, who is to say whether or not he would have been able to create such beauty through his artwork. Not everyone has an interesting life to accompany his/her professional life as an artist. Van Gogh has both and each is folded into the other. His life and his art are intertwined, each feeding off of the other. The second thing I love about this genius is his technique. He just DID. It was eratic and lovely all at the same time. Sometimes textured, sometimes not. His technique was all his own.
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