The Great Courses - In the Footsteps of Vincent van Gogh

In the Footsteps of Vincent van Gogh is an immersive journey through the world of Van Gogh, filmed on location at historical sites in Europe and enriched by the voices of fellow Impressionists, as well as the music of his time. Written and directed by Professor Jean-Pierre Isbouts, an art historian, best-selling author, and award-winning filmmaker, the series sets out to answer many urgent questions that remain unsolved to this day.
One thing is certain: Van Gogh is one of the most widely recognized, as well as one of the most widely misunderstood, artists of the modern world. Shrouded in enigma and difficulty from the start, his life was touched by tragedy.
This background and many other secrets about his life are the subject of this fascinating series of 15 documentary shorts. Each are filmed on location in Holland, Belgium, and France. Each episode features not only Vincent's own words, based on his letters to Theo, but also those of fellow Impressionists and friends, brought to life by a cast of 11 voice actors. In addition, each episode is movingly edited to the music of Debussy, Satie, Franck, Fauré, and Ravel-music that Vincent was probably very familiar with. Some of these pieces were recorded by Professor Isbouts with ensembles and soloists in Los Angeles and New York.
Letters from van Gogh
Much of the story revolves around Vincent's intimate musings to his brother Theo, who was probably the most central figure in Vincent's life. Beginning as early as 1872, these letters offer us an unprecedented and nearly day-by-day record of Vincent's mental, emotional, and creative development during his artistic career.
A Story of Places
Jean-Pierre takes a unique approach to documenting Vincent's path. Where most other historians try to analyze the artist's stylistic development-either within the confines of his artistic "periods," against the larger contexts of the art movements of his day, or in biographical or psychological terms, Jean-Pierre organizes this series by locale. This arrangement is important because Vincent was never tied down to a single location, unlike most of his contemporaries. He rarely stayed anywhere for more than two years. Indeed, his art seemed to thrive on the frantic movement from one place to the next, each of which left an indelible stamp on his work.
Some of the key places you will visit include:
Nuenen, Holland-Vincent moved back with his parents for two years after his attempts to hold down careers first in art dealership and then ministry failed. It was here that he became an artist in the true sense of the word as his confidence and output grew.
Antwerp, Belgium-Although he only stayed there for three months, and it has been largely ignored by scholars, it was here in this Belgian city that Vincent began a remarkable evolution, learning about current-day movements and seeing much of the great art of the day with his own eyes.
Paris, France-The center of 19th-century modern art, it was here that Vincent was exposed to the full-scale Impressionist movement, dropping in on his brother Theo, by surprise. Unfortunately, we know less about Vincent's thoughts during this time due to a lack of letters since Vincent was living with Theo, but these episodes do include numerous oral testimonies from artist friends.
Arles, Provence-The place that Vincent thought of as his own "Japan," because the landscape there reminded him of the Japanese prints he loved. It is here that he arrived at his classical style, and where he cut his ear after a fight with fellow artist and roommate Paul Gauguin. In these episodes, Vincent's famed "Yellow House" has been lovingly reconstructed using 3-D animation.
The Asylum of Saint-Rémy, Provence-Here, Vincent attempted to recover his mental and physical health. While his immediate surroundings were spartan, the view from his barred window-a wheat field-would captivate and inspire him. It is during this time that he painted what is perhaps his best-known painting-The Starry Night.
Auvers-sur-Oise, France-This is the village where Vincent spent his last months and found a friend in physician and amateur artist Paul Gachet. His two portraits of the doctor rank among his finest works. It is also here that the tensions in Vincent's life came to a head, and his despair eventually gave way to the fateful day he shot himself, dying less than two days later.
By exploring Vincent's life in each of these locations, you will begin to grasp how his surroundings shaped his paintings.
Connections and Influences
The course also explores Vincent's growing-up years in Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. Incidentally, Jean-Pierre also grew up in this region, which made him very familiar with the landscapes from the artist's Dutch period. Jean-Pierre even recounts a personal memory from his childhood connecting him to Vincent. This tangible connection with van Gogh permeates the course in fascinating ways.
Throughout his career, it is the landscape that directly influenced Vincent's work, whether in Holland, Paris, or the South of France. He also drew influence from outside sources like Japanese art prints, and impulses from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements.
From Unknown to Revered Artist
Would the world even know about Vincent today without his brother Theo and Theo's wife, Johanna? Likely not. Theo was instrumental in shaping Vincent as a person and artist; in fact, Theo was the one who encouraged Vincent to become a painter. He was the one person who always recognized Vincent's genius and believed he would someday be known as one of the world's greatest artists. And Johanna would go on to continue her husband's tireless promotion of Vincent after both brothers died.
Perhaps the reason why Vincent's art is now considered so memorable-and yet was so undesirable in his own time-is that his paintings lack the gloss and sophistication of his contemporaries, in part because he was largely self-taught. He never could be pinned down to one "school" or movement; instead, he painted the way he lived his life: doggedly, obsessively, and always true to his feelings. Vincent was a maverick in an age that prized conformity, and it is this individualism that makes him so appealing to our modern age.
In the Footsteps of Vincent van Gogh will take you on an unforgettable journey through the beauty, the turmoil, and the genius of one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.
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