There is no more direct expression of the underlying energy in nature than in the work of Vincent Van Gogh. In this early drawing, he used the obvious device of a storm to communicate power.
Compare it with this drawing made the last year of his life. Here there is no wind and bowing tree; the ground and the things growing out of it are drawn with separate, staccato strokes which simultaneously describe the landscape, and suggest the power in it. See my post "French Fries and Potato Chips" http://williambuffett.blogspot.com/2011/04/french-fries-and-potato-chips.html His achievement is in showing us this vigor even on a calm day with a clear sky.
I made this ink study of a mature tree in the same spirit:
Van Gogh's innovation is exemplified in this famous and popular landscape painting. With this technique, the flickering bars of thick paint delineate, color and animate the landscape all at once.
Of course the artist can't have it all; in the interest of expressiveness, some verisimilitude is sacrificed. You have to choose what you want and lose what you must.
The self portrait with the swirling background and the coat that seems alive is sometimes cited as evidence of a troubled, unbalanced mind. It could also be offered as the manifestation of an intense joy in the act of painting, of exultation in his own discovery.
Nice post. I be taught one thing more challenging on different blogs everyday. It’ll always be stimulating to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their store.
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