It's art history class brought to life.
That's what visitors of the Art Institute of Chicago might think of a museum showcasing famous pieces often seen only in textbooks, ranging from Edward Hopper's 'Nighthawks' to Grant Wood's 'American Gothic' to Georges Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.'
The Art Institute currently has yet another reason for students to make the trek to Chicago with its 'Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South' exhibit currently on display. Running from Sept. 22, 2001 to Jan. 13, 2002, the exhibit has more than 150 works of the artists, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics. And yes, van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' is there.
Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of
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The exhibit focuses on the relationship between van Gogh and Gauguin, who met in Paris. In 1888, van Gogh rented a small house in Arles that came to be known as the Yellow House. Van Gogh called this place 'the Studio of the South' and invited Gauguin to join him.
Each of the 21 themed studios in the exhibit includes artwork pertaining to its theme (i.e., the 'Preparation' studio includes paintings van Gogh completed to decorate the Yellow House before Gauguin's arrival) as well as excerpts from correspondence between the artists, van Gogh's brother and others.
For weeks before my late-September trip to 'The Studio of the South' exhibit, I bragged to people that I was going to see 'the van Gogh thing' in Chicago.
Clearly, in my mind, the works of Paul Gauguin would only be the parsley garnish next to Vincent's main course.
How wrong I was.
I suppose I was just suffering from a case of my own ignorance, but before I toured
the exhibit, I had little understanding or appreciation of Gauguin's prolific career. However, I soon learned that the French artist actually had a great deal of influence on van Gogh's works.
This brought me to a startling impasse when, on the ride home, my mother asked me which of the two painters I preferred.
After mulling it over for a while, I explained to her that choosing the more compelling artist between van Gogh and Gauguin would be like having to decide on who was the best Beatle. It simply would not be fair to only name one.
What struck me most about the exhibit was the volume of van Gogh and Gauguin's work that the Art Institute was able to assemble in one place.
There were some paintings that had a huge effect on me. Seeing 'The Starry Night' in person seemed surreal. I've seen that painting in books and studied it in classes. For a few brief minutes, I stood in front of it, absorbing its presence. It was totally mesmerizing.
All the works I'd admired my entire life were just hanging on the wall in front of me. I actually started crying when I was in the Monet collection, partly from the shock of seeing 'Water Lilies.' The van Gogh and Gauguin exhibit was similarly moving. I particularly liked when van Gogh and Gauguin painted the same subject'seeing their versions side-by-side was fascinating.
Then there was 'The Starry Night.' Every reproduction I have ever seen couldn't come close to showing how absolutely magnificent the real painting is. I could see pure emotions in every stroke. The colors all seemed to blend together into something harmonious that made absolute perfect sense. There were no guardrails; I was so close that I could have reached out my hand, extended my fingers and touched it. I couldn't take my eyes off of it'in fact, I couldn't physically leave the gallery.
I didn't know a lot about art when I went to the van Gogh and Gauguin exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. I knew van Gogh as 'that dude who uses swirls a lot,' and I had never heard of Gauguin. The exhibit was perfectly laid out for idiots like me, giving the visitors equal amounts of art and history. I learned about the artists' lives and their interactions with each other while I was able to see the profound impact they had on each others' work.
