From the Artist: With this painting I wanted to get people to look beyond the subject and notice the backgrounds in paintings which can also be very interesting. This one is the scene behind Van Gogh's head in his 'Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear' painting.
From the Painting Guide: When I first saw the photo of this painting my thought was "How's this Van Gogh?", then a light bulb went off and I remembered he'd done some paintings with bits from Japanese prints he had in them. Then, having read your statement, I of course went to have a closer look at his bandaged ear self-portrait (the original is in the Courtauld Institute Gallery" in London) and realized I'd never truly noticed the background, having been distracted by his face. So, thank you for making me take another look and having new appreciation for it!
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Japonisme: With the opening of Japan's ports to trade with the West in the 1850s, Japanese artworks started entering the European art market. Many painters (including Monet, Matisse, Pissaro, Van Gogh) collected Japanese woodcuts and prints and were influenced by the different use of perspective and more graphic compositions. The use of this in Western art is known as Japonisme. Read more about this on the Metropolitan Museum's website.
Van Gogh mentions his Japanese prints in his letters:
From the Painting Guide: When I first saw the photo of this painting my thought was "How's this Van Gogh?", then a light bulb went off and I remembered he'd done some paintings with bits from Japanese prints he had in them. Then, having read your statement, I of course went to have a closer look at his bandaged ear self-portrait (the original is in the Courtauld Institute Gallery" in London) and realized I'd never truly noticed the background, having been distracted by his face. So, thank you for making me take another look and having new appreciation for it!
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Japonisme: With the opening of Japan's ports to trade with the West in the 1850s, Japanese artworks started entering the European art market. Many painters (including Monet, Matisse, Pissaro, Van Gogh) collected Japanese woodcuts and prints and were influenced by the different use of perspective and more graphic compositions. The use of this in Western art is known as Japonisme. Read more about this on the Metropolitan Museum's website.
Van Gogh mentions his Japanese prints in his letters:
- "My studio isn't at all bad, especially now that I've pinned up a lot of small Japanese prints which I enjoy very much. You know, those small female figures in gardens or on the beach, horsemen, flowers, gnarled thorn branches." (Letter from Antwerp to his brother Theo, 28 November 1885.)
- "I envy the Japanese the extreme clarity of everything in their work. It is never dull and it never seems to be done in too much of a hurry. Their work is as simple as breathing, and they do a figure in a few sure strokes as if it were as easy as doing up your waistcoat." (Letter from Arles to Theo, 24 September 1888.)