From the Artist: I am not overly familiar with the impasto painting technique, but this project proved to be a challenging and instructive experience.
The pale blue grey sky and swirls of light white and yellow clouds were painted over a base coat of medium purple blended with streaks of yellow and white. I used thick strokes of paint in predominant shades of blues and greens, together with ochre, white and yellow to depict the surrounding foliage and winding lanes in the foreground of the picture. The trunk and branches of the tree were painted with a combination of brown, white and red streaks with blue and purple contours, then patches of medium purple and white were added for the blossoms.
The jacaranda has always been one of my favourite trees. I was particularly captivated by this majestic specimen with it's long curving branches and delicate short-lived mauve and lilac blossoms. It seemed a fitting tribute to one of the world's greatest masters, who produced such an abundance of beauty and pleasure during the last ten years of his tragic, all too brief life.
Eulogy by close friend of Van Gogh, Dr Gachet: "He had only two aims: humanity and art. It was the art that he sought that will ensure his survival."
From the Painting Guide: I can't help but wonder whether, if Van Gogh had spent time in a part of the world where jacaranda trees occur, how many times he would've painted them. He did quite a few of trees full of white blossom, and I think a jacaranda with its blue-purples are even more beautiful.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Color of Shadows: Look at the glorious colors in the shadows in this painting. If you ever needed visual proof that shadows don't need to be black to be convincing, I'd think this is it. Also look at how the shadows are painted in the same style as the rest of the ground; that's why they're so convincing.
Varying Styles in a Painting: Looking at it strictly from the point of view of this project's theme, I think the style the sky is painted in wants to be more like the brushwork in the rest of the painting. Or painted with stronger swirls, more obviously separate brushmarks.
The pale blue grey sky and swirls of light white and yellow clouds were painted over a base coat of medium purple blended with streaks of yellow and white. I used thick strokes of paint in predominant shades of blues and greens, together with ochre, white and yellow to depict the surrounding foliage and winding lanes in the foreground of the picture. The trunk and branches of the tree were painted with a combination of brown, white and red streaks with blue and purple contours, then patches of medium purple and white were added for the blossoms.
The jacaranda has always been one of my favourite trees. I was particularly captivated by this majestic specimen with it's long curving branches and delicate short-lived mauve and lilac blossoms. It seemed a fitting tribute to one of the world's greatest masters, who produced such an abundance of beauty and pleasure during the last ten years of his tragic, all too brief life.
Eulogy by close friend of Van Gogh, Dr Gachet: "He had only two aims: humanity and art. It was the art that he sought that will ensure his survival."
From the Painting Guide: I can't help but wonder whether, if Van Gogh had spent time in a part of the world where jacaranda trees occur, how many times he would've painted them. He did quite a few of trees full of white blossom, and I think a jacaranda with its blue-purples are even more beautiful.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Color of Shadows: Look at the glorious colors in the shadows in this painting. If you ever needed visual proof that shadows don't need to be black to be convincing, I'd think this is it. Also look at how the shadows are painted in the same style as the rest of the ground; that's why they're so convincing.
Varying Styles in a Painting: Looking at it strictly from the point of view of this project's theme, I think the style the sky is painted in wants to be more like the brushwork in the rest of the painting. Or painted with stronger swirls, more obviously separate brushmarks.