Van Gogh oil painting (1887)
After U.S. naval commander Matthew Perry sailed
into Tokyo harbor and coerced the Japanese to open the country to trade, the
Western world was introduced to the art of woodblock printing. In 1867, the Exposition Universelle in
Paris ignited a craze for Japanese art.
The Japanese prints, which
featured scenes of ordinary life, influenced many of the leading Impressionist
and Post-Impressionist artists, including Monet, Degas, Gaugin and Van Gogh.
featured scenes of ordinary life, influenced many of the leading Impressionist
and Post-Impressionist artists, including Monet, Degas, Gaugin and Van Gogh.
Vincent Van Gogh and his
brother, Theo, purchased hundreds of the ukiyo-e woodblock prints, several
of which Vincent traced and reproduced as paintings. The specific artistic
conventions, that characterized Japanese artwork, and which Van Gogh admired
and embraced in his own drawings and paintings include:
brother, Theo, purchased hundreds of the ukiyo-e woodblock prints, several
of which Vincent traced and reproduced as paintings. The specific artistic
conventions, that characterized Japanese artwork, and which Van Gogh admired
and embraced in his own drawings and paintings include:
● Van Gogh abandoned the
artistic convention of dramatically modelling forms through the use of
chiaroscuro lighting, which exaggerates the contrast between highlight and
shadow. Instead, he illuminates his
subject matter more uniformly, as is evidenced in his painting of irises
(below).
artistic convention of dramatically modelling forms through the use of
chiaroscuro lighting, which exaggerates the contrast between highlight and
shadow. Instead, he illuminates his
subject matter more uniformly, as is evidenced in his painting of irises
(below).
● To complement his
manner of lighting, Van Gogh utilized a limited number of uniform colors. In
his use of lighting and color, the flattened forms in his compositions are nonetheless
very appealing. By reducing his palette
to a few basic hues, he emulated woodblock printing. In this method of printing,
one carved woodblock is used for one or at most a few colors.
manner of lighting, Van Gogh utilized a limited number of uniform colors. In
his use of lighting and color, the flattened forms in his compositions are nonetheless
very appealing. By reducing his palette
to a few basic hues, he emulated woodblock printing. In this method of printing,
one carved woodblock is used for one or at most a few colors.
● In rendering his
subject matter, Van Gogh’s style is very linear, incorporating bold, dark outlines.
These contours infuse his portrayals with energy and feeling. Rather than shading
objects, he uses dynamic linework to suggest the depth of shapes in the same manner
used in Japanese woodblock printing.
subject matter, Van Gogh’s style is very linear, incorporating bold, dark outlines.
These contours infuse his portrayals with energy and feeling. Rather than shading
objects, he uses dynamic linework to suggest the depth of shapes in the same manner
used in Japanese woodblock printing.
The desaturated photo (above) demonstrates how Van Gogh used dark contours and bold linework to define the principal design elements. He was never hesitated to use black for his outlines.
● Similar to the themes of the ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which depicted the ordinary lives of the Japanese working class, Van Gogh focused on the commonplace topics: still life, landscapes and depictions of ordinary people. Much of his subject matter is primarily decorative, rather than representing conventional historical or religious topics. In his selection of topics, Van Gogh found joy in the simpler aspects of life.
Rather than portraying
historical scenes or religious themes, Van Gogh depicted the simpler aspects of
everyday life, as shown in his Red Vineyards painting.
historical scenes or religious themes, Van Gogh depicted the simpler aspects of
everyday life, as shown in his Red Vineyards painting.
● To portray depth in a scene,
ignores the typical rules of Western perspective. Instead, Van Gogh often
distorts the rendering of his subjects. Notice in the picture below how the
vase is represented in much the same way as Cezanne depicts many of the forms
in his paintings.
ignores the typical rules of Western perspective. Instead, Van Gogh often
distorts the rendering of his subjects. Notice in the picture below how the
vase is represented in much the same way as Cezanne depicts many of the forms
in his paintings.
Below are my versions of two Van Gogh paintings:
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About Jim Hingst: Sign business authority on vehicle wraps, vinyl graphics, screen printing, marketing, sales, gold leaf, woodcarving and painting.
After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.
Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 190 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 500 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published. Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon.
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