Tag Archives: vincent van gogh

Ridge Willow Corner

“Ridge Willow Corner“ [4th February 2024] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, sketch with B, HB, 2B, 5B, 6B, charcoal, charcoal stick and blue/yellow colour pencils on 280gsm 250mm x 300mm gesso primed canvas pad, online Instagram image 2000 x 1702 pixels.

“Ridge Willow Corner“ was sketched in just under 56 minutes including signing over two drafts.

42 minutes 44 seconds for the first draft then 12 minutes 44 seconds for the second/final draft. My original photograph is taken on 28th February 2021 facing south, with Ridge Willow in the middle of the composition, logs piled and strewn.

Afterwards I viewed everything satisfactorily except the wooden posts to the right. Only though for technical reasons as compared to my photograph (see below). That said, the strong contrast of the wooden posts in charcoal is a noteworthy feature of the whole quickly sketched piece.

The idea is to be fast and impressionistic. In this I can honestly say the picture was a very difficult composition with much detail and angular perspectives to consider artistically. Likely its one of those vistas that requires a study to evaluate professionally prior to the perfected artwork.

Interestingly Van Gogh is noted for calling some of his finest masterpieces ‘failures’.

Now, as I look at this piece I see possible influence from Vincent Van Gogh in the despondent looking wooden posts heavily featuring charcoal. As if they are persons carrying a burden of hardship and toil. Complete chance although I have viewed Van Gogh and Picasso works this past week.

By the way I blunted several pencils during this work. One 6B pencil broke like the axe that near-splices a log all the way through, possibly whilst sharpening!

“Are the obstacles lines in the sand that can be moved?”

Let’s take a look at the photograph composition:

“Ridge Willow Corner – photograph“ [28th February 2021 at 1313hrs] by Matt The Unfathomable Artist.

With the photograph you can see why I chose to make the sunshine so bright. Actually this is careful use of the white canvas space. I did add yellow pencil at the outer edges (of the sun) to highlight this dazzling effect.

It’s baffling to me as I view my sketch for real as to why it took me so long haha! Then I remind myself that the time flew like a falcon. Glancing periodically at the stopwatch ‘clock’ à la rabbit of Alice in Wonderland fame.

Hope you enjoy :]

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‘Two Swifts’

‘Swift’ [1887] by Vincent van Gogh, Sketch and study, Pencil on paper.

‘Two Swifts’ 

Two incredible things I saw today.. yes, today I said the rain was due, 

I beheld the dark clouds,

in minutes it startled from light to heavy rain,

yes, fourteen years ago I envisaged the scourge,

as the winds grew very strong I observed a mere butterfly beat wings exceedingly for cover,

to the leaves of the garden high [tree] you see in my photograph.

The determined beauty settled upon gusty leaves and waited as the tumultuous rain fell, a torrent.

As I viewed the soggy sky,

two swifts kept flitting above as for food in the winds,

the airborne sea-like mass,

until they two flew for shelter.

Verily the swift is politer than most,

calling out for the knowing of its place.

None gave to it the rule,

neither was there an asking.

It chose to do so.

– a writing by Matt The Unfathomable Artist, Copyright © 3rd August 2019.

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Angels Viewing the Art of Giotto di Bondone

Number 36, Scenes from the Life of Christ: Number 20, Lamentation – The Mourning of Christ
[c1304 – 1306] by Giotto di Bondone, fresco at the Scrovegni Chapel – Padua, Italy, (H) 200cm x (W) 185cm

Today in the month of December 2018 I’d like to share with you ‘Number 36, Scenes from the Life of Christ: Number 20, Lamentation – The Mourning of Christ’ [c1304 – 1306] by Giotto di Bondone.

Today I found one of the inspirations for Vincent Van Gogh.

“In his own time, people wrote of Giotto ‘first he put “goodness” into the expression of human heads’.” – words by Van Gogh quoting Vasari, from the book by Jules Michelet ‘L’amour’, [produced 1859] page 381.

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Vincent and his Sunflowers

Having planted sunflowers in my own garden and watching them grow to a very great height like the proverbial beanstalk I can understand the fascination.  The width of the flower itself is quite breathtaking and the yellow mirrors the Sun for its beauty.

Van Gogh – or shall we prefer to call him Vincent as he has invited us to do?  We all probably know that Vincent’s Sunflowers paintings have been amongst the most expensive in history.  He artily studied sunflowers extensively and produced a varied array of styles and compositions.

I would like to talk about version F.454, Van Gogh’s fourth version. Here is a picture:

Vincent depicts these sunflowers with vibrant yellows symmetrically contrasted against a lighter background and darker yellowy-gold floor to offset the vase’ lighter lower-half colour.  This is pleasing to our eyes and allows us to see all the details perfectly.

The sunflowers show strength, positivity and respectful humbleness.  The six flower heads boldly facing us could be a matter-of-fact declaration of facing challenges.  Readers will appreciate that Vincent was a master of composition so naturally he will choose to paint the flower heads artistically.  It is also true that Vincent would use his imagination with some compositional details to better the artistic appeal.

I know personally speaking that paintings are influenced by our moods at the time.  Subconscious feelings will rise to the fore.  As expressive creatures we cannot help translate this into our arts for all to see, hear or feel with our hearts and our minds.

Vincent’s voice is clearly heard within this yellow Sunflowers version by the epitome of joy and happiness we see.  Interestingly, whilst the background is beautifully simple the sunflowers are detailed.  I enjoy the way he has managed the seed heads in the flowers that face us, with the light specks dancing around.

White light bounces off the mid-top of the vase and the artist has chosen to write his name on the vase like a personable gift.

The flair for movement is consistent with his swirling style.  I love this about his artworks, his sense of movement.

Each person sees an artwork differently so I am by no means saying this is so or that is so about this painting.  Sacre bleu with blue lining all around.  I am much happier that you might like my interpretation of this great painting and the things I felt about it.

I can say that like all art lovers I would love to have one of Van Gogh’s paintings adorning my wall.  A visit to a Museum or Gallery graces us with a chance to pretend for a moment that one of his Sunflowers paintings is ours.

If only for a brief moment.

– Matt, The Unfathomable Artist

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