Vincent van Gogh was a Bad Artist. Chang my Mind.
What is bad art? When discussing art, many people use the terms “bad” and “good” as fact instead of opinion. More often than not, if you walk around a museum or gallery and happen to overhear a conversation, it will most likely be the stating that a work is good or bad. That is typically all that is said. No explanation. No reasoning. No objectiveness. And most people will not question this statement and also accept this view.
Have you ever heard about the artist Vincent van Gogh? Most likely you have or you have seen his works. He and his works are some of the most highly celebrated of all western art. People replicate and try to embody Gogh’s style or covet one of his works due to the overall response that Gogh’s works are good and desirable. Yet, it is important to remember that during Gogh’s life, the mass reaction to his obvious brush stroke and play with color was negative. Very few galleries would show his work and he only ever sold one painting, Red Vineyard at Arles, during his life. If people from his time were asked what they think of Gogh’s work, they would probably say it’s bad. So who is right about the response to Gogh’s work, those from Gogh’s time or after?
When viewing art, the most important thing is to ask yourself if you like the work. Do this before reading the plaques about the art or having someone else say their opinion. Take your time and look at the piece longer than one minute. This will allow you to discover elements of the painting that cannot be detected by looking for thirty seconds. Doing so will let you be able to understand your likes and dislikes about art, and be able to articulate your opinion more than just stating a work is good or bad. Then when you discuss the work with someone else, that conversation will be more engaging and thought provoking. It is important to keep your mind open and let yourself change your opinion over time. Also, just because a collective likes an artist or a piece of art, does not mean that you should automatically like that work. You have the autonomy to disagree and voice your opinion.
So where do you stand on Vincent Van Gogh? Was he good? Was he bad? How might we better discuss his works?
