When I was in the Netherlands last May I was lucky to see some paintings of him in the Noord Brabants Museum in Den Bosch and in the Kroller Muller Museum in Otterlo. I saw one of my favourite paintings of Vincent in the latter, Terrace at Night. The starry Night is in New York so I won't get to see that but I am already very lucky
I also went to an exhibition with my daughter in 2020 in Wellington where she lives. They projected paintings of Van Gogh on a lot of shipping containers. With the music on the background, it was beautiful, but I had expected that they would have used Starry, Starry Night from Don McClean for that as well but they didn't.
A little impression of the exhibition
My daughter walking in front of a Van Gogh painting; a couple walking in the forest
The Starry Night
A moon swirls
in amber
on a blue canvas,
a flaming tree
towering above a town.
Clouds are skies,
grasping the stars,
dressing them in white
and light yellow coats.
Lone stars
stand out like
the sensitive soul of their painter,
whose heart didn’t beat
to the rhythm of time
but to the drip of indigo paint.
A painter
writing lines of poetry
with a divine tongue,
using brush strokes
to display a witness of wonder
beyond what we perceive.
The air weighed
heavily on the softness
of Vincent van Gogh.
He left us with his light
in the sky of The
Starry Night.
Fabulous poem one of your best. I love Vincent Van Gogh 's paintings. You are lucky to have seen the originals of some.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane
DeleteSuch a powerful poem
ReplyDeleteHi Marja - beautiful poem and so appropriate for Vincent's extraordinary art. I've written two posts on his art ... one was for WEP around 'Cafe Terrace' (21 Feb 2020); and the other was on a film I saw when out in Canada - 'Loving Vincent' and how it was made with many artists ... (23 March 2018) - you hadn't commented on either - so perhaps you didn't see them. The Loving Vincent one - the film was so worth seeing ... I gave the background to the making of it - so clever, I thought. You'll enjoy the Diaghilev book by Sjeng Scheijen - perhaps you can read it in Dutch? Cheers and this was quite delightful to read on a gloomy November day! Hilary
ReplyDeleteThanks Hillary. I couldn't find your posts but would love to read them. I have seen a little about that movie It's an animation isn't it. I will surely watch it in full if I get the chance. Yes that would be great to read that book in Dutch. It is still easier for me to read books in Dutch. I will put it on my list.
DeleteYou describe Van Gogh's essence beautifully, Marja. And he did, indeed, witness wonder beyond what we normally perceive.
ReplyDeleteThanks Maria
DeleteOh cool I have been close to the Van Gogh Museum as I know it is not far from the Rijksmuseum. lol One day I hope to get there. Didn't know about Klimt Another great artist I love him as well.
ReplyDeleteHeel mooi, je gedicht. Vooral de laatste zin! Af en toe ben ik mij er van bewust wat een geluk wij in dit kleine land hebben voor wat kunst betreft. En dat is fijn!
ReplyDeleteDankje ja wij hebben een hele lijst met grote schilders en artiesten. Wij zijn best een goed volkje Alhoewel het wordt iets minder lol
Deletehe left us with his light - I just love that and it is a perfect line for this painting. I hope I will be able to visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam some day!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Yes it is on my list as well but I am happy that I have I have seen the Terrace at Night
DeleteOh, what a wonderful poem about the painting and the painter!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosemary
Delete"displaying a witness of wonder beyond what we perceive" that line in your poem is the essence of poets and artists. I think we sometimes write (paint) the nebulous rather than the concrete of things because that is where the real meaning in a thing is. Lovely work, Marja.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debi
DeleteI like this Marja, my favorite line will be "painter writing lines of poetry with a divine tongue
ReplyDeleteusing brush strokes . . . " We've had van Gogh traveling exhibition here also, I missed going.
Yes, I've traveled a lot, been to many author's and writer's old haunts. van Gogh and Monet are at the top of my list of favorites. Robert Burns in Ayshire, Scotland, Shakespear in U.K. and Poe of the U.S. are at the top of my writer favorites. Been to all their haunts and homes.
..
..
Thanks and yes you are very lucky indeed. I like to visit these places as well The next on my list is the house Katherine Mansfield which is in Wellington
DeleteThe picture of your daughter in front of Van Gogh's painting featuring a couple walking in the forest - is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThanks She really enjoyed it so we had a great time there
Delete...I love Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Starry, Starry Night by Don Mclean. Both are classics. Thanks for sharing your lovely poem.
ReplyDeleteYou are very fortunate to have seem the originals. "The sensitive soul of its painter
ReplyDeletewho’s heart didn’t beat to the rhythm of time
but to the drip of indigo paint" Nice!!
Your poem is absolutely gorgeous!! I have yet to visit the exhibition, but should it come close I certainly will. Or perhaps I need to travel where it is!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteYour poem does justice to the painting, a beautiful one at that. And thanks for sharing the little video too
ReplyDeleteVan Gogh is by far mijn favoriete schilder. Helemaal na het lezen van zijn biografie. Het museum heeft bewust gekozen voor klassieke muziek. In Assen is nu een nieuwe tentoonstelling met een tien meter hoog sculptuur van hem.
ReplyDeleteHij was inderdaad a "sensitive soul." Je gedicht is een ode aan hem! Prachtig.
Touching tribute to the great man, Marja AND: "a witness of wonder beyond what we perceive" certainly captures the essence of what he gave us" Great writing this... Thank you
ReplyDeleteOutstanding poem about a favorite artist of mine. I saw that same show, and was mesmerized by it.
ReplyDelete