Van Gogh’s art doesn’t need any introduction. His artworks like ‘Starry Night’, ‘Almond Blossoms’ and ‘Cafe Terrace at Night’ have been admired and immortalized in various forms over the years. But Van Gogh is much more than the few artworks we have seen in pop culture and famous galleries. The lesser-known artworks are equally mesmerizing, so why don’t we learn more about them?
- PÈRE TANGUY, 1887
The classic Van Gogh colour palette and small textured brushstrokes are prominent in this portrait of Julien Tanguy, the owner of a small paint shop in Paris. The figure is placed right in the centre against a backdrop of Japanese seasonal scenes and costumed figures, making the painting quite interesting. The piercing gaze with the soft smile instantly attracts anyone to the painting.
- GAUGUIN ’S CHAIR, 1888
Van Gogh was friends with another famous impressionist artist Gauguin, and they used to do paintings for each other. This painting is one such artwork. The candles symbolize light and life. The chair looms slightly unerringly at the front of the canvas, breaking through the natural frame of the picture. He could, unfortunately, never complete this painting.
- SOWER at Sunset, 1888
Van Gogh was especially interested in peasant imagery, and this painting represents the eternal cycle of agricultural life, honourable endeavour and tradition. Here he has created a great orb of light, from which short precise brushstrokes radiate outwards so that the whole sky becomes bathed in golden rags. The rest of the canvas is made up of short, quick brushstrokes that lend the ground a textured and slightly surreal feel.
- ROAD WITH CYPRESS AND STAR (COUNTRY ROAD IN PROVENCE BY NIGHT), 1890
Van Gogh had called this artwork his last attempt at a star painting, and it is not an actual landscape but motifs that became dear to overtime- cypress, star, moon and pathways. The two people walking close represents companionship that he always desired in his life. The short, rhythmic wavy brushstrokes give the painting a dynamic feel.
