Lessons from Vincent van Gogh

Pearl Power Pole #4. Boulder, Colorado, 2012

The Denver Art Museum currently has a very well-done exhibit of the works of Vincent van Gogh. We all know his work, of course, but I had no idea how short, yet prolific, his career really was.

Yes, he was a painter, not a photographer, but we who use cameras can still learn a great deal from the other arts and, if we wish to grow ourselves as artists, we should make it a habit to make all of those other arts–painting, sculpture, music, dance, opera, theater, film, yes, even literature–part of our regular cultural diet. Vincent was always a tortured soul, like many intensely focused artists it seems. Whether the cause was bipolar disorder, alcoholism, depression, syphilis from prositutes, or some other agent, psychiatrists continue to argue today.  There is no doubt, though, that he was a genius at what he did.

Van Gogh’s productive period was very short, lasting roughly ten years, from about 1880 until his death in 1890 at the age of 37 by apparent suicide (this, still debated by some) from a gunshot wound infection. During that last decade of his life, he produced an average of at least one new work every other day–drawings, watercolors, sketches, prints, and, of course, his famous paintings.

Given his work ethic over those ten years, in my mind, I think it’s important for us as photographers to understand that he didn’t simply wake up one day and paint “The Starry Night.” (Just as Ansel didn’t wake up one day and create “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico“.) He worked very, very hard and with constant determination to perfect his skills and he experimented with many different techniques along the way.

On that note, here are a few relevant quotes from Vincent van Gogh that relate directly to our journey as evolving photographic artists:

“I try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove.”

LESSON: Create images that come from your heart–from you–not the images others say you ought to create.

“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.”

LESSON: Work on your weaknesses as a photographer. Try to constantly learn new techniques and methods.

“I am still far from being what I want to be, but with God’s help I shall succeed.”

LESSON: Even van Gogh had to work his butt off to get where he did. We will need to do the same if we want to improve our art.

“Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.”

LESSON: For creating powerful photographic images, this is excellent and concise advice.

“I am doing my very best to make every effort because I am longing so much to make beautiful things. But beautiful things mean painstaking work, disappointment, and perseverance.”

LESSON: Key words even for a master like van Gogh: “…painstaking work, disappointment, and perseverance.” We have to keep at it, and constantly.

“That I was not suited to commerce or academic study in no way proves that I should also be unfit to be a painter.”

LESSON: Our inability to succeed at other professions or skills does not at all mean we are destined for failure in our photographic endeavors.

“Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.”

LESSON: Unfortunately, in our western, capitalist societies, we worry about the weekly paycheck, choosing our careers accordingly, and we often ignore our artistic inclinations until we have the luxury of retirement–if ever. We should be training our children otherwise. Our society would be richer and our general societal “happy-meter” needle would likely rise significantly.

And, finally:

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

LESSON: As photographers, it is the cumulative effect of our daily efforts that will make the biggest difference in our work.