Vincent Van Gogh Up Close in Ottawa

Like many people around the world, I have long been somewhat familiar with Vincent Van Gogh. He's the artist who couldn't sell a painting while he was alive and who cut off part of his own ear, isn't he?

If you are not aware of those bits of gossip, you most likely know that his works of art can be seen on merchandise everywhere you go. His paintings have long been reproduced and appear on almost anything you can imagine. From calendars and coffee mugs to umbrellas and t-shirts, the list is endless.

It wasn't until we visited Amsterdam in 2009 and the Van Gogh Museum that I decided I really liked some of Vincent Van Gogh's artwork. I found myself wanting to learn more about him and have done so by reading books, both fiction and non-fiction, and watching a number of documentary film presentations.

Imagine then my pleasure at learning that the National Gallery of Canada -- right here where I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- was going to host an exhibit called Van Gogh: Up Close. I enjoyed taking in many of the activities associated with the exhibit with various friend and family members.

On this page, learn a bit more about the National Gallery of Canada's presentation of Van Gogh: Up Close and about Vincent Van Gogh himself. I have chosen to illustrate this page with some very nice pieces of merchandise related to the artist. They would make great gift ideas for any fan.

Click here to order this Vincent Van Gogh print from Amazon.

For those not familiar with the artist.

Vincent Van Gogh's entire name was Vincent Willem van Gogh and he is often referred to as simply Van Gogh. Van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter who used strong color, "rough beauty, emotional honesty" in his artwork whose presence in the art world has far outlived his lifetime.

• DATE OF BIRTH: Vincent Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands.
• DATE OF DEATH: Vincent Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
• PARENTS: Theodorus Van Gogh and Anna Carbentus Van Gogh.
• SIBLINGS: Two brothers, Theo and Cor and three sisters, Elisabeth, Anna & Willemina "Wil."
• PERIOD: Post-Impressionism.

As part of the National Gallery of Canada exhibit, we went downtown and experienced the one-man play Vincent van Gogh: A Life in Paintings, presented by the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands and performed by Dutch performer Frank Groothof. Mr. Groothof's presentation was truly amazing as he used simple mechanisms like a hat or a pair of glasses or a letter to switch between the roles of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh. We felt privileged to have two of the free tickets to this presentation and we learned a lot about Vincent Van Gogh's troubled life and his paintings.

The story shared in the play is also shared in Paul Groothof's book, Vincent and Theo: Brothers in Art, which tells of the importance of the relationship between Vincent and his brother Theo.

Cornelia Homburg is an independent art historian who currently resides in France and has spent many years studying and writing about Vincent Van Gogh. The exhibit Van Gogh: Up Close is the result of her five years of organizational efforts. On May 27, she presented a lecture about the creation of this exhibit, of the choice of nature theme and of the difficulty of arranging to borrow works of art from the collections of many individuals and organizations.

One interesting story that she shared is that The National Gallery of Canada is very fortunate to have been given permission to borrow the painting of the image shown here, which features almond blossoms. Apparently, this painting does not travel very often but given the nature-themed focus of this exhibition, the owners granted permission for it to travel.

The lecture was followed by a very interesting question and answer section during which audience members drew upon Ms. Homburg's knowledge of the artist, his paintings and the art world.

Van Gogh: Up Close was written and published to coincide with this special art exhibition. Edited by Cornelia Homburg, the book takes the same focus that the exhibit does, closely examining 100 paintings and Van Gogh's approach to nature between the years of 1886 and 1890. Experts examined his work from a historical and a modern-day perspective and about his use of photography and interest in the Old Masters and Japanese art.

Reviewer, Grady Harp, said, "This book encourages the viewer to appreciate the artist's obsession with the details and close up views of his subject matter - a technique that aids in the aura of rich glow his works convey."