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Rolf Reveals Van Gogh Influence

Post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh has had a large influence on the art career of Rolf Harris.

The Australian entertainer revealed that as a schoolboy he was initially unimpressed by Van Gogh's artistic style but would later be inspired by the Dutchman's use of vivid colors.

He told the BBC: "Now I see the Van Gogh stuff and think I wish I could paint and draw like that, I wish I had that strength that Van Gogh showed."

Harris went onto paint a self-portrait in the style of Van Gogh for his successful television series Rolf on Art, which is still the most watched art show in the history of British broadcasting.

The octogenarian has fortunately enjoyed a more lucrative career than the tragic Van Gogh as Rolf Harris prints are regularly sold to art enthusiasts while the Dutchman only sold one painting in his whole life.

Vincent Van Gogh paintings became immensely popular following his death in 1890 at the age of 37 as in 1990 his Portrait of Dr. Gachet fetched $82.5 million at auction in Christie's, New York.

The winning bidder Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito has reportedly wanted to have the painting cremated with him when he died but the portrait still exists today despite the passing of Saito in 1996.

Harris imitated the methods and techniques of a variety of art masters during his series and such is the skill of the Australian that a survey stated that one in 14 people thought that Rolf is responsible for Monet's waterlilies.

Rolf on Art saw Harris experience the privilege of going to Delft to paint Vermeer's The Girl with the Pearl Earring, visiting Rembrandt's studio and actually working with Rodin's art materials.

He told Enough Rope, an Australian television interview show: "It was absolutely thrilling. Thrilling. Especially the Rembrandt one. You know, to go there and to be surrounded by all these etchings in that museum there."

Rolf is famous for his many talents and it was recently reported that he could be following in the footsteps of Metallica, Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden by appearing at Sonisphere Festival in the future.

Sonisphere co-founder Stuart Galbraith told a press conference: "I want Rolf Harris here! I'm serious. I want to see a circle pit to Two Little Boys."

Rolf is no stranger to rock music having regularly appeared at Glastonbury festival and playing covers of the Led Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven.

About the Author

My Artbroker offers the opportunity to buy and sell work from some of the most contemporary artists including
Rolf Harris prints
,
Sarah Graham prints
and Neil Dawson prints.

Could you decribe to me Van Gogh's painting 'Old Mill'?

I need to have a description of Van Gogh's 'Old Mill' icluding use of bright colours, painting strokes and emotions he might have felt painting this.
Thank you...

In 1888, Vincent van Gogh left the cold, gray winter of Paris and moved to the town of Arles, in southern France. The colors and light of the south were an inspiration to him, and van Gogh created more than two hundred paintings in fifteen months. Although this work is called The Old Mill, it had most likely by that time been converted into a farmhouse. The farms and fertile fields of the area can be seen in the background, as well as the Arpilles mountains north of Arles, and a pale green sky.

Van Gogh’s major contribution to the history of modern art was his use of color. He was one of the first artists to free color from a merely descriptive function; that is, objects did not have to be reproduced on canvas in their natural colors. Van Gogh had specific and well thought out theories of painting, which were clearly articulated in hundreds of letters to his brother and friends. He wanted to represent emotions through the use of color, line, texture, and light — how he felt about a particular scene or subject. This painting represents his joy in the colors, beauty, light, and warmth of the south.

Van Gogh was often criticized for working too quickly. However, a closer look at The Old Mill will reveal the care with which the brushstrokes were applied. He used various types of brushstrokes for different parts of the landscape: for example, short directional ones for the foliage; long, vertical ones for the purple fence posts; and smooth, curved strokes for the sky. Van Gogh wrote that he thought about each painting at length in advance, thus could work quickly when he finally began to paint. For this reason, he said, "when anyone says that such and such is done too quickly…they have looked at it too quickly."

There are many misconceptions about Vincent van Gogh. He is often viewed as a tragic hero whose genius was cut down prematurely by his suicide at age thirty-seven. There is no doubt that he suffered from some sort of illness that caused periods of irrational behavior, especially late in his life. Although no one will ever know with certainty, the most widely accepted theory is that he suffered from some form of epilepsy, perhaps compounded by digitalis poisoning, glaucoma, over-consumption of absinthe, or syphilis. When suffering from an attack, van Gogh could not paint, although work done during his periods of lucidity often reflect his suffering. It is important to remember, however, that many of his paintings — including The Old Mill —represent joy rather than suffering.

Vincent VAN GOGH selfportrait speed painting by M. Missfeldt

Tags: art, gogh, gogh paintings, museum, painting, vangogh, vincent gogh paintings

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 28th, 2009 at 12:09 am and is filed under paintings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.