Tuesday, December 30, 2014

30 Decembre 1888

Local newspaper report dated 30 December 1888 recording Vincent’s self-mutilation. ”Last Sunday night at half past eleven a painter named Vincent Vangogh, appeared at the maison de tolérance No 1, asked for a girl called Rachel, and handed her … his ear with these words: ‘Keep this object like a treasure.’ Then he disappeared. The police, informed of these events, which could only be the work of an unfortunate madman, looked the next morning for this individual, whom they found in bed with scarcely a sign of life.
The poor man was taken to hospital without delay.”

2 comments:

Ol'Buzzard said...

the miracle that was Vincent van Gogh is worth celebrating.
To really appreciate his work you must know his life - you can read his life in the way his paintings take form.
the Ol'Buzzard

microdot said...

van Gogh was a major influence on me and I'm always discovering work by him I have never seen before. I really studied his ink drawings. so many of the great artists of that period are popularly known by only a few works. The artist Georges Seurat was a particular influence on me...every one knows his pointillist color field big works, but he was one of the greatest graphite artists I have ever seen. His drawings are totally unique. Seurat is another person who you really can't know or understand until you read his life and writing. He was a friend of Alfred Jarry and invented pseudo scientific explanations of bhis work and theories that really crossed the line into surreal satire. Check out Pataphysics....some people actually took it seriously, but Seurat was just playin' them!