Set Description
Van Gogh selected coins that portray his eclectic artist ability.
Set Goals
Find and showcase Vincent Van Gogh life, style & impact on the world of art!!
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View Coin
| 2022 G$1 Terrace at Night |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Cafe Terrace at Night
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Café Terrace At Night (also known as The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum) (1988) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Café Terrace At Night)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as Café Terrace at Night, by Van Gogh. The painting depicts the artificially lit terrace of the popular coffee house, in the poetic darkness of the street.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Vincentvangogh.org
This painting of a colorful outdoor view is a picturesque work, the vision of a relaxed spectator who enjoys the charm of his surrounding without any moral concern. It recalls Van Gogh's mood when he wrote that "the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." The color is more profuse and the eye wanders along the steeped or dove-tailed edges of neighboring areas - irregular shapes fitted to each other like a jigsaw puzzle design. To divide this space for long into a large object and background themes is difficult for the eyes; the distant and nearer parts are alike distinct. The yellow of the cafe plays against the blue-black of the remote street and the violet-blue of the foreground door, and, by a paradox of composition that helps to unify the work, at the strongest point of contrast the awning's blunt corner nearest to us touches the remote blue sky. Foreshortened lines that thrust into depth, like the lintel of the door, are strictly parallel to lines like the slope of the yellow awning and the roof of the house above, which lie in planes perpendicular to the first. For this roving, unengaged vision the upward dimension is no less important and expressive than the depth.
The silhouette of the starry sky is key to the patterning of the whole; the poetic idea of the work - the double illumination and contrast of the cafe and the night sky - is developed through this jagged form. In the silhouette of the orange cafe floor and the adjoining window and doors, we discover the inverted shape of the blue sky; the scattered disks of the stars are matched in the elliptical tabletops.
The most eye-catching aspect of the painting is the sharp contrast between the warm yellow, green and orange colours under the marquise and the deep blue of the starry sky, which is reinforced by the dark blue of the houses in the background. Van Gogh was pleased with the effect:
“I believe that an abundance of gaslight, which, after all, is yellow and orange, intensifies blue."
10 Secrets of "Café Terrace at Night"
1) In a scholarly treatment of Café Terrace at Night, which Jared Baxter submitted to the 2013 European Conference on Arts & Humanities, the writer suggests Van Gogh's painting contains allusions to The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Indeed, a close study of the painting reveals that the main characters include one central figure with long hair surrounded by 12 individuals, plus a cross shines in the background of the composition, and Van Gogh has included additional cross-like shapes throughout the artwork. A shadowy figure slipping through the doorway may symbolize Judas. A religious allusion wouldn't be too out of character for Van Gogh. Before devoting his attention to painting, the famous Dutch artist had wished to "preach the gospel everywhere," and his father, Theodorus van Gogh, was a pastor for a Dutch Reformed church. Around the time of working on Cafe Terrace at Night, van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo van Gogh, explaining that he had a "tremendous need for, shall I say the word - for religion," with direct reference to the painting.
2) Van Gogh never signed Café Terrace at Night. However, he specifically mentioned the painting in three pieces of correspondence, so art historians are confident that he painted it.
3) The painting has three separate titles. At its first public exhibit in 1891, the work bore the title "Café, le soir," or Coffeehouse at Evening. Another name it goes by is "Café Terrace on the Place du Forum."
4) Van Gogh's iconic Post-Impressionistic star-filled sky appears for the first time in his Café Terrace at Night.
5) Café Terrace at Night is one of three Arles paintings that feature Van Gogh's distinctive star-filled sky. Starry Night Over the Rhone and Starry Night complete the trilogy.
6) Although a night scene, the painting is devoid of the color black. Vincent states in a letter to his sister that, to him, the night is richer in color than day.
7) Vincent painted the Café terrace scene on location rather than from memory.
8) The Café in the painting is still in existence, renamed the Café Van Gogh.
9) Café Terrace at Night ranks second in a list of the top ten most reproduced artworks from 2000 to 2010. Van Gogh's Starry Night holds first place.
10) The positions of the stars in the night sky of Café Terrace at Night is accurate, according to astronomical data.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 Chair |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Chair
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Chair (1888) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Van Gogh’s Chair)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as the Chair, by Van Gogh. What makes this painting particularly interesting is the symbolism behind it. Van Gogh created this artwork as a representation of his personal space and the solace he found in his own belongings.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Vincentvangogh.org
Van Gogh painted this picture as a pendant to another painting he made at the same time as Gauguin's Chair. The paintings were done in December 1888, when the relationship between Gauguin and Van Gogh had become strained, and though as yet nothing had been mentioned, Van Gogh was aware of the fact that his dream of sharing a studio was rapidly disintegrating. His simple chair sits empty, symbolic of its absent owner, and is an image that is infinitely sad. It is an extraordinary instance of propelling a most familiar object beyond the realm of still life so that it comes to represent the artist himself.
Van Gogh painted the picture on one of the coarse canvases that Gauguin had brought with him to Arles, and built the composition up through flat, broad areas of colour combined with complex pattern created through the complicated lines of the chair and tiles. By including his pipe and tobacco, and his name signed in the background, the object becomes instantly personalized and as such assumes a mantle of emotive expression unconnected to the everyday form of a chair.
Guardian – The Observer, Vincent Van Gogh (Donna Ferguson, 18 June 2022)
“Revealed: why Van Gogh’s ‘empty chair’ paintings were never shown together”
“Sister-in-law hid one dedicated to Gauguin because of ‘anger at the French artist’s attacks on his former friend’
“Shortly before Vincent van Gogh cut off his left ear and had a breakdown after quarrelling with his fellow artist, Paul Gauguin, in the French city of Arles in 1888, he created a pair of extraordinary paintings. One, Gauguin’s Chair, depicts a couple of books and a lit candle discarded on an ornate armchair. The other, Van Gogh’s Chair, shows a tobacco pipe and pouch on a rustic wooden chair and is instantly recognisable as one of the most famous paintings in the world.
Now, the mystery of how the diptych of paintings came to be split up – and why the picture of Gauguin’s chair was kept in the family collection while Van Gogh’s Chair was sold off – has finally been solved.
The answer lies in the decision of Johanna Bonger, who inherited the paintings as the widow of Van Gogh’s brother, Theo, not to exhibit the masterpieces together in the decades after Van Gogh’s death in 1890 due to her “dislike of Gauguin”.
It was not until 1928, three years after she died, that Gauguin’s armchair was first selected for an exhibition. By that time, Van Gogh’s Chair was already famous and had been sold to the Tate.
“Johanna never showed Gauguin’s Chair, while Van Gogh’s Chair was promoted as a really important piece of art,” said Louis van Tilborgh, senior researcher at the Van Gogh museum and professor of art history at the University of Amsterdam, whose research was published in the Dutch art journal Simiolus and highlighted by the Art Newspaper.
Van Tilborgh told the Observer that he thinks the reason Bonger did not want to exhibit the painting was that she disliked Gauguin after the French artist publicly belittled his former friend. “Gauguin, very early on, spread the word that Van Gogh was not only mad but also that he, Gauguin, had to teach Van Gogh how to paint. I think Bonger knew that and my conclusion is that, for that reason, she didn’t want to put those two pictures together.”
Exhibiting the painting might have lent credence to the suggestion that Van Gogh was a disciple of Gauguin’s, and therefore an inferior artist. “Probably, by not showing the two works together, she wanted to avoid discussion about it.”
Van Gogh painted the pictures after inviting Gauguin, whom he deeply admired but hardly knew, to live with him in Arles and work on great art together. He purchased 12 “exceedingly simple” wooden chairs but only one ornate, luxurious armchair, which he placed in Gauguin’s room.
“In art historical literature, they have always been described as empty chairs. And the emptiness was connected to the fact that art historians and psychoanalysts believe Van Gogh predicted he and Gauguin would split up,” Van Tilborgh said.
Van Gogh wrote a letter to his brother about his work on the paintings, describing them as “rather droll”. Due to a mistake concerning the date of that letter, for nearly a century it was thought Van Gogh had painted the chairs immediately after Gauguin announced their temperaments were incompatible and Gauguin was thinking of moving out.
The date of this letter was corrected in 1984. But art historians have continued to suggest Van Gogh created the paintings in a state of dread and anxiety that Gauguin would abandon him and their studio collaboration, and their partnership would fail.
In fact, Van Tilborgh points out that Van Gogh completed the diptych long before Gauguin’s announcement, and the chairs are not empty but occupied by the belongings of their owners, indicating what they do to relax.
“It’s all about interpretation. Of course, you can say the chairs are empty, because there is nobody sitting in them. But, in principle, they are not empty. There are things on them, which suggest their owner’s presence.” He thinks Van Gogh painted the chairs in an optimistic frame of mind. “They symbolise a studio and a partnership, which gave him hope.”
After Gauguin left and Van Gogh was released from hospital, the injured artist deliberately added the tobacco pipe and pouch to his own – at that time, entirely empty – chair, ensuring his presence in the room of the painting was at least as obvious as Gauguin’s, whose chair already had the books and candle on it.
“He must have thought: ‘My own chair is empty. But I’m the only one who is here.’ So he had to add something to make this much more clear.”
Van Gogh then signed Van Gogh’s Chair but not Gauguin’s Chair, which – since Gauguin was no longer around to sit in it – he then described in a letter to his brother as “empty”. Van Tilborgh said: “He makes his picture of his own chair more important, because he has stayed.”
This status of Gauguin’s Chair as an unsigned painting might have been a factor in Bonger’s decision not to exhibit it, said honorary professor at the University of Edinburgh, Belinda Thomson, an art historian who specialises in the work of impressionists and post-impressionists. “She may have held it back, thinking it was one of the paintings Vincent didn’t consider to be important.”
Thomson thinks Van Tilborgh makes a “very compelling” argument that the chairs are not as “empty” as experts previously thought. “The dating of these chairs, well before the indications that the relationship was going wrong, just puts a different light on it. It makes them seem a much more positive, much more optimistic statement of their relationship.”
Given Van Gogh’s description of them as “drole” in French, she thinks they could almost be seen as slightly tongue-in-cheek or amusing, rather than paintings that depict a sense of longing, emptiness or failure. “It’s hindsight to make that reading. At the time they were painted, Van Gogh and Gauguin are getting along well.”
Later, when Van Gogh added a tobacco pipe and pouch to Vincent’s Chair, she suspects he was trying to make his own chair – which was, after all, one of 12 – just as personal and individual as Gauguin’s Chair. “It gives an equivalence between them.”
Richard Thomson, also a professor in the history of art at Edinburgh University,said he thought Van Tilborgh’s research could lead art historians to rethink not only other pictures of Van Gogh’s but his relationship with Gauguin. “It’s too easy to say Van Gogh and Gauguin fell out, and it was all very difficult and fraught, but here is a subtler, more complicated and I think deeper interpretation.”
This article was amended on 24 June 2022 to include reference to the Art Newspaper.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 First Steps |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 First Steps
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NGC MS 70
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2022 First Steps, after Millet (1890) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: First Steps – After Millet)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as First Steps, by Van Gogh. His emotional and psychological depictions of these subjects, regarding scenes of peasants and their daily lives, set him apart from his predecessors and made him a pioneer of modern art.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
In fall and winter 1889–90, while a voluntary patient at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh painted twenty-one copies after Millet, an artist he greatly admired. He considered his copies "translations" akin to a musician's interpretation of a composer's work. He let the black-and-white images—whether prints, reproductions, or, as here, a photograph that his brother, Theo, had sent—pose "as a subject," then he would "improvise color on it." For this work of January 1890, Van Gogh squared-up a photograph of Millet's First Steps and transferred it to the canvas.
Vincent Van Gogh Gallery
Without question one of the foremost influences on Vincent van Gogh would be the French painter Jean-François Millet (1814-1875). Van Gogh would write to his brother Theo as early as 1873 about his admiration for Millet's work.
After Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy, France in 1889 he would continue to work sporadically, depending on the state of his physical and mental well-being. In late 1889 Van Gogh focused his attention on copies of several of Millet's works, in part because of his lack of models during his confinement.
In October, 1889 Van Gogh wrote to his brother of his admiration for one specific Millet drawing:
“Ah, now certainly you are yourself deep in nature, since you say that Jo already feels her child move--it is much more interesting even than landscapes, and I am very glad that things should have changed so for you.
How beautiful that Millet is, “A Child's First Steps"!
Letter 611
Saint-Rémy
c. 25 October 1889
So while Van Gogh was envisioning a series of copies of Millet's works, it's arguable that First Steps had a special significance to Vincent at the time because of the upcoming birth of his nephew to his brother Theo and sister-in-law Johanna.
Millet's original First Steps
Just as Van Gogh was greatly influenced by Jean-François Millet, so too was Millet influenced by those before him. Scenes of children learning to walk were depicted by Rembrandt as well as his pupils. Millet may also have been influenced by 15th century artists who painted the infant Jesus taking his first steps toward Mary. Millet wrote to his biographer Alfred Sensier "I shall make drawings, that is briefly the present solution. I shall make them as good as I can and, as far as possible, place them in the intimacy of life." Millet was passionate that his artworks should focus on every day scenes, which is arguably why Millet's works spoke so profoundly to Vincent van Gogh.
Millet would produce three copies of First Steps:
The first version was completed in 1858 for Millet's patron Alfred Feydeau. It measures 32 x 43 cm. and is now in the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Lauren, Mississippi. Theo sent a photograph of this version of First Steps to Vincent in October, 1889. Three months later Van Gogh would draw a squared grid on the photograph (now in the collection of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam) and commence his painted copy of the work.
The second version was commissioned by Alfred Sensier and is larger than the first (63 x 75 cm.). At Sensier's suggestion, Millet added some pastel to make the work more lively. This version is now in a private collection in Germany.
A third version was acquired by Émile Gavet around 1859 and Van Gogh would have seen it on display at the Gavet Sale in Paris in 1875. It is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. So even though Van Gogh didn't begin his copies after Millet until a few months before his death in 1890, he was writing to Theo about his admiration for Millet as early as 1873 and would have seen in person a version of Millet's First Steps fifteen years before undertaking his own interpretation of the work.
Van Gogh's First Steps:
Van Gogh completed his version of Millet's work in January-February, 1890. He sent this and the other painted copies of Millet to Theo in Paris on 29 April 1890. Theo received these works with great enthusiasm:
“The copies after Millet are perhaps the best things you have done yet, and induce me to believe that on the day you turn to painting compositions of figures, we may look forward to great surprises.”
Letter T33
Paris
3 May 1890
First Steps remains one of Van Gogh's most admired works. The intimate family scene has a universal appeal and the harmonious colour scheme would be typical of Van Gogh's final paintings. The subject of Millet's original and Van Gogh's copy may have spoken to Vincent on several levels: a passionate admiration for the great master Jean-François Millet, delight at the prospect of the impending birth of his brother's son, and perhaps a sense of regret for a family life that Vincent had long hoped for, but never attained.
“I should very much like to see Millet reproductions in the schools. I think there are children who would become painters if only they saw such good things.”
Letter 607
Saint-Rémy
19 September 1889
References
1. Ronald Pickvance, Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and Auvers (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1986), pp. 172-73.
2. Wulf Herzogenrath and Dorothee Hansen (eds.), Van Gogh: Fields (Hatje Cantz Publishers, 2002), pp. 106-07.
3. Louis van Tilborgh (ed.), Van Gogh and Millet (Waanders, 1989), pp. 111-14.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 Red Vineyards |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Red Vineyards
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Red Vineyards at Arles (1888) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Red Vineyard)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as the Red Vineyards, by Van Gogh. The painting depicts a rural landscape with vibrant red vineyards in the foreground. The vigorous rhythm and intense hues of the painting reflect Van Gogh's emotional engagement with the subject matter.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
VincentVanGogh.org
The Red Vineyard at Arles, which Vincent van Gogh was unusually pleased with, is the only work he sold during his lifetime, and was bought for 400 francs by Anna Boch (1848-1936)
In October, 1888 Gauguin arrived in Arles and moved in with Van Gogh, who was beside himself with excitement and dream of starting if not an artists' colony, at the very least a shared studio. Van Gogh had met Gauguin two years previously and was in awe of the slightly older artist, whose own opinion of himself was greatly inflated. The stay ended in disaster culminating in Van Gogh's self-mutilation, but prior to this the two artists had worked on similar projects, and Gauguin's influence can be seen on Van Gogh's paintings of this time. Van Gogh was particularly enraptured with a local vineyard, whose colours were turning to autumnal reds and yellows as the days shortened into autumn. He painted The Red Vineyard, capturing the mellowed tones and glistening light of the early evening sun reflecting in the river, while Gauguin painted Vineyard at Arles with Breton Women, clothing the women in the traditional Breton costume of his home.
On October 2, 1888 Vincent van Gogh sends a letter to Eugene Boch mentioning his project to paint The Red Vineyard, in which he mentioned:
“Ah well, I have to go to work in the vineyard, near Mont Majour. It's all purplish yellow green under the blue sky, a beautiful, colour motif."
While painting, Van Gogh was not standing in front of the vineyard, he painted it at the Yellow House completely out of memory and imagination the day after he walked through the nearby Wine plantation.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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View Coin
| 2022 G$1 Iris |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Iris
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Iris (1890) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Irises)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as Iris, by Van Gogh. The painting depicts a close-up view of irises in vibrant shades of purple, blue, and yellow, against a background of dark green foliage.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Getty Museum
In May 1889, after episodes of self-mutilation and hospitalization, Vincent van Gogh chose to enter an asylum in Saint-Rémy, France. There, in the last year before his death, he created almost 130 paintings. Within the first week, he began Irises, working from nature in the asylum's garden. The cropped composition, divided into broad areas of vivid color with monumental irises overflowing its borders, was probably influenced by the decorative patterning of Japanese woodblock prints.
There are no known drawings for this painting; Van Gogh himself considered it a study. His brother Theo quickly recognized its quality and submitted it to the Salon des Indépendants in September 1889, writing Vincent of the exhibition: "[It] strikes the eye from afar. It is a beautiful study full of air and life."
Each one of Van Gogh's irises is unique. He carefully studied their movements and shapes to create a variety of curved silhouettes bounded by wavy, twisting, and curling lines. The painting's first owner, French art critic Octave Mirbeau, one of Van Gogh's earliest supporters, wrote: "How well he has understood the exquisite nature of flowers!"
Draw Paint Academy – Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh Saint-Rémy, c. 10-15 May 1889
“My dear Theo,
Thanks for your letter. You are absolutely right when you say that M. Salles has been splendid in all of this, I am under the greatest obligation to him.
I want to tell you that I think I have done well to come here, because, by seeing the reality of the assorted madmen and lunatics in this menagerie, I am losing my vague dread, my fear of the thing. And bit by bit I am getting to consider that madness is just a disease like any other. Thus the change in surroundings will do me good, I think.
As far as I can tell, the doctor here is of the opinion that what I have had is some sort of epileptic attack. But I haven't asked him more about it.
Have you received the case of paintings, I am curious to know if they have suffered, yes or no?
I have two more on the go - violet irises and a lilac bush, two subjects taken from the garden.
The idea of my duty to get back to work occurs to me a lot and I believe that all my faculties for work will soon come back to me. It's just that the work often absorbs me so much that I think that for the rest of my life I will always be a bit absent-minded and awkward when shifting for myself.
I won't write you a long letter - I want to try to reply to my new sister's letter, which moved me very much, but I don't know if I'll be able to do it.
A handshake,
Ever yours, Vincent
My dear sister,
Many thanks for your letter in which I especially looked for news of my brother. And I find it excellent. I see you have already noticed that he likes Paris, and this more or less surprises you, since you do not like it at all, or rather like mostly the flowers there, such as the wisterias, I suppose, which are probably coming into bloom.
Might it not be a fact that when you are fond of something, you see it better and more truly than when you are not fond of it? For him and me Paris is certainly already something like a graveyard where many artists have perished whom we once knew directly or indirectly.
Certainly Millet, whom you will learn to like very much, and many others with him, tried to get out of Paris. But as for Eugene Delacroix, for instance, it is difficult to imagine him, as a man, otherwise than as a Parisian.
All this is to urge you - with all caution it is true - to believe in the possibility that there are homes in Paris and not just apartments.
Anyway - fortunately you are yourself his home.
It is rather queer perhaps that the result of this terrible attack is that there is hardly any very definite desire or hope left in my mind, and I wonder if this is the way one thinks when, with the passions lessened, one descends the hill instead of climbing it. And anyhow, my sister, if you can believe, or almost believe, that everything is always for the best in the best of worlds, then perhaps you will also be able to believe that Paris is the best of the cities in it.
Have you noticed that the old cab horses there have large beautiful eyes, as heartbroken as Christians sometimes have? However it may be, we are neither savages nor peasants, and it is perhaps even a duty to like civilization (so called). After all it would probably be hypocrisy to say or think that Paris is bad when one is living there. Besides, the first time one sees Paris, it may be that everything in it seems unnatural, foul and sad.
Anyway, if you do not like Paris, above all do not like painting nor those who are directly or indirectly concerned in it, for it is only too doubtful whether it is beautiful or useful.
But what is to be done? - there are people who love nature even though they are cracked or ill, those are the painters; then there are those who like what is made by men's hands, and these even go so far as to like pictures.
Though here there are some patients very seriously ill, the fear and horror of madness that I used to have has already lessened a great deal. And though here you continually hear terrible cries and howls like beasts in a menagerie, in spite of that people get to know each other very well and help each other when their attacks come on. When I am working in the garden, they all come to look, and assure you they have the discretion and manners to leave me alone - more than the good people of the town of Arles, for instance.
It may well be that I shall stay here long enough - I have never been so peaceful as here and in the hospital in Arles - to be able to paint a little at last. Quite near here there are some little mountains, grey and blue, and at their foot some very, very green cornfields and pines.
I shall count myself very happy if I can manage to work enough to earn my living, for it worries me a lot when I think that I have done so many pictures and drawings without ever selling one. Do not be in too much of a hurry to think that this is an injustice. I myself don't know in the least.
Thanking you again for having written to me. I am so very glad to think that now my brother is not going home to an empty apartment when he goes back in the evening.
I shake your hand in thought, and believe me,
Your brother, Vincent
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 Blute-Fin Windmill |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 The Blute-Fin Windmill
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Montmartre Windmills and Allotments (1887) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Windmills by LA Galette)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as Montmartre Windmills and Allotments, by Van Gogh. These allotments were a common feature in Montmartre, providing urban dwellers with a chance to reconnect with nature. Van Gogh's inclusion of these allotments further emphasizes the rural and serene aspect of the neighborhood.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Vincent Van Gogh Museum
In Paris, Van Gogh frequently painted the picturesque windmills on the hill of Montmartre. In his day, Montmartre was still a partly rural area with allotment gardens and farms.
Van Gogh hoped that this subject would sell well. He took the fresh, pure colours – the white of the fields and bright blue of the sheds – from contemporary French art. To render sunlight in this landscape, Van Gogh used highly diluted oil paint. This resulted in a translucent, matt effect. He chose a canvas with an unusual, elongated shape. That creates an effect like that of a wide-angle lens. The paths and gardens fan out, drawing our eyes toward the horizon.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$! Farmers Resting |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Farmers Resting
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Farmers Resting (The Siesta - (after Millet) (1889) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: The Siesta)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as Farmers Resting, by Van Gogh. The painting depicts the hot noon sun casts shadows on the ground, indicating the intensity of the midday heat. The figures are shown in various poses, resting with their eyes closed.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
LegendArte
Author of many original masterpieces, Vincent Van Gogh was also a painter who admired his colleagues. In fact, there are several works by the Dutch painter that bear witness to Van Gogh's respect for other painters and "Noon - Rest from Work" is one of them.
"Noon - Rest from Work": a painting inspired by a work by Jean-François Millet.
Made in 1890 and now kept at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, this painting by Van Gogh is a 71 X 91 cm canvas and its representation is linked to a work by the realist painter Jean-François Millet, an artist who lived years before Vincent Van Gogh.
The Dutch artist was inspired several times during his career by the works of his colleagues; he believed that the painters he admired had made a great contribution to the high level that art had reached and somehow, when he was inspired by their works, he also wanted to pay homage to them through his work.
In this case Van Gogh was inspired by a drawing used by Millet for the series of paintings entitled "The Four Hours of the Day".
An idea born during his stay in the Saint-Rémy psychiatric hospital.
Like many other paintings by Van Gogh, this one, too, was born during his stay in the psychiatric hospital that hosted him several times. Here the painter analysed Millet's drawing in depth and told his ideas and impressions to his brother Theo. These letters show the great esteem the artist had for Millet, which was also due to the choices Millet made when he had to paint, both in terms of colours and subjects.
In this work Jean-François Millet had chosen the peasants as main subjects, exalting them as if they were heroes, an aspect shared by Van Gogh.
"Noon - rest from work": analysis of the work
Looking at this painting by Vincent Van Gogh you can see two farmers resting after hard work in the fields. The woman rests and shows herself with her head resting on her arms, while the man has his face covered by a straw hat. Next to the man you can see his shoes and also two sickles used for work.
In the distance you can see another man who continues to work and is intent on setting up a cart and oxen, and in the painting, you can also see sheaves, the result of the work of the farmers.
The quick brushstrokes suggest that the artist wanted to represent a warm, but also slightly ventilated day, but the greatest attention must be paid to the choice of complementary colours that create unique contrasts in this painting. Blue and purple intertwine perfectly with yellow and orange, giving life to a vivid painting, carefully cared for in every detail and capable of transporting the observer into that field and making him feel the smell of freshly mown hay, the breeze that seems to caress the grass and the face of the peasants, along with many other sensations.
Much appreciated and capable of capturing the viewer's full attention, this painting by Vincent Van Gogh is a tribute to Millet that perfectly shows the great esteem the Dutch artist had for his colleague.
Article by: Aurora Caraman.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 Self Portrait |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Autoportrait
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Self Portrait (with straw hat – 1887) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Self-Portrait (Straw Hat))
The obverse of the coin features the self-portrait, where Van Gogh portrays himself using thick layers of paint to create a sense of three-dimensionality, focusing on capturing his facial expression and features.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Van Gogh Museum
There are over 35 self-portraits by Vincent but just one portrait photo of him.
Only one portrait photo of Vincent has survived. It shows him at the age of 19 with a slightly gruff expression. Almost everything else we know about his appearance comes from the many self-portraits he painted. No fewer than 35 of them are known. They tell us that he had red hair, green eyes and an angular face. Yet each of those faces is different. Vincent himself wrote:
‘People say – and I’m quite willing to believe it – that it’s difficult to know oneself – but it’s not easy to paint oneself either.’
Vincent didn’t paint self-portraits because he was vain. Vincent produced his self-portraits because he wanted to practice painting people. The majority of them – over 25 – were done while he was in Paris (1886–88). He was short of money in that period and struggled to find models. So, the artist chose the simplest solution and painted himself.
To save money, he sometimes painted self-portraits on the back of other paintings. By doing that, he avoided the costs not only of a model but also of expensive canvas. You can see five such self-portraits in the Van Gogh Museum's online collection.
In July 2022 a hidden self-portrait was discovered in the collection of The National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh..
The self-portraits tell us something about his personality. Vincent often presented himself as restrained and serious in his self-portraits, with a look of concentration on his face. All the same, something of Vincent’s personality can be found in each self-portrait. He described the last one he did in Paris as ‘quite unkempt and sad’ [...] something like, say, the face of – death’. That’s how he felt at the time: mentally and physically exhausted.
Three self-portraits hint at Vincent’s illness. On 23 December 1888, Vincent cut off his left ear in a state of total confusion. It would be the first of a series of mental breakdowns. He was reluctant to discuss the incident in his letters, but he did ‘report’ on it in two self-portraits.
Vincent did not portray himself as a sick, broken man for the sake of effect or to arouse pity. He was convinced that painting would help him to heal. ‘I retain all good hope’, he wrote to Theo.
The self-portraits have shaped our image of Vincent. Many artists have drawn inspiration from Vincent’s self-portraits. They have been reproduced an infinite number of times since the early 20th century.
The self-portraits put a face to the man who became the archetype of the artist as tortured genius. The yellow straw hat is now firmly associated with Vincent and his love of the sun and the color yellow.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 Rosebush |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Rosebush
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Rosebush (In Blossom - 1889) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Blooming Rosebush)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as Rosebush, by Van Gogh. Vincent van Gogh had a deep passion for flowers and often used them as subjects in his artwork. He believed that flowers represented the essence of nature's beauty and saw them as a way to express his emotions and convey his personal views on life.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo Japan
Vincent van Gogh pursued an individual style with an expressionistic use of color inspired by Impressionism and Japanese ukiyo-e. Having welcomed Paul Gauguin to share his life at Arles in the South of France at the end of 1888, the artist soon began to suffer from a mental disorder. Van Gogh saw the roses of this painting blooming in the grounds of the asylum at Saint-Rémy where he was admitted the following year. The intense, undulating brushstrokes characteristic of his last works are already evident. The prolific painter took his own life in 1890
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 Sunflowers |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Sunflowers
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Sunflowers (1888) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Fourteen Sunflowers)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as Sunflowers, by Van Gogh. The sunflower paintings had a special significance for Van Gogh as they communicated gratitude.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Vincent Van Gogh Gallery
There are pieces of artwork drifting through galleries around the world that have become nearly synonymous with the artists name and techniques. The various paintings of Sunflowers and Vincent van Gogh are a perfect example of this. Not only can one make a mental connection between the artists name and painting but also between the artist and their influence on the development of art through these paintings. Vincent van Gogh's Sunflower paintings have been duplicated many times by various artists (although never reaching the vivacity and intensity of Van Gogh's) and displayed everywhere; from households to art expos.
Upon looking at these paintings one begins to notice aspects that seem to flow from one piece to another. The colors are vibrant and express emotions typically associated with the life of sunflowers: bright yellows of the full bloom to arid Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers browns of wilting and death; all of the stages woven through these polar opposites are presented. Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; the fulfillment of seeing all angles of the spectrum of life and in turn reaching a deeper understanding of how all living things are tied together.
There are many pieces within this series of paintings (each is clearly identifiable as a Van Gogh work) in which there are only minor differences that separate them. The overall layout of the painting along with positioning of the actual sunflowers usually remains the same in the similar paintings.
Although Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are very similar in many aspects, each stands out as its own unique work of art. Van Gogh began painting sunflowers after he left Holland for France in pursuit of creating an artistic community. The firsts were created to decorate his friend Paul Gauguin's bedroom. The majority of Van Gogh's sunflowers in vases were created in Arles, France during 1888-1889. Van Gogh did create some sunflower paintings prior to this time though in Paris, France around the time of 1887. This series consists of sunflower clippings verses sunflowers in vases.
According to BBC.co.uk:
Regardless, Van Gogh's paintings of sunflowers have altered mankind's perspective of art and life. These paintings captivate the mind and leave you astounded in their simplistic beauty. The flowing wilted steams and the burst of lovely yellow draws one’s attention around the painting, without disrupting the balance of the piece. These paintings are often duplicated but never reach the pure power of Van Gogh's.
Vincentvangogh.org
10 Facts that You Don't Know About "Sunflowers"
1) Van Gogh painted 11 works in which sunflowers are the primary subject, and more in which they play a role. One was destroyed in a fire in Japan during an Allied bombing of Osaka during World War II.
2) A factor that distinguishes the artist's earlier Paris series is the fact that blossoms are laid casually on a surface in groups of two or four while in the Arles series, they are arranged in a vase in greater profusion.
3) When they first met in Paris in 1887, Van Gogh and Paul Gaugin exchanged paintings. Vincent's contribution was a "Sunflowers" painting from his Paris series.
4) "Sunflowers" is tied up in the saga of Van Gogh's severed ear. In Arles, Vincent rented quarters in what he called the Yellow House, and furnished a room to accommodate Gauguin. He planned to decorate the room with sunflower paintings. Later, the Yellow House would be the scene of Vincent's self-mutilation.
5) During his brief stay at the Yellow House, Gauguin painted Vincent at work in a canvas entitled, The Painter of Sunflowers.
6) "Sunflowers" nearly led to bloodshed. In 1890 in Brussels, a Belgian painter bristled at having his paintings displayed in the same exhibition as "Sunflowers," saying Vincent was a charlatan. Vincent's friend Henri Toulouse-Lautrec heard the disparaging remark and challenged the Belgian to a duel, which never took place.
7) One of the original "Sunflowers" is part of the collection of National Gallery of London, and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once asked to see Van Gogh's chrysanthemums. Nobody thought to correct her.
8) When Van Gogh moved to Arles, he entered into a prolific period in which he infused his works with yellow hues. Several theories attempt to explain this. One asserts he overindulged in absinthe while another suggests he took too much digitalis. Either substance could have tinted what he saw with yellow.
9) The vibrant yellow oil paints in Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" were first made available early in the 19th century. He was among the first artists to fully embrace them.
10) Van Gogh was not alone in his focus on sunflowers. Claude Monet in 1881, Gustav Klimt in 1907 and Egon Schiele in 1911 are some of the other well-known artists who evoked the sunflower image.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2022 G$1 Starry Night |
TOKELAU
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G$1 2022 Starry Night
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NGC MS 70
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2022 Starry Night (1889) Tokelau G$1 Vincent Masterpieces (COA Name: Starry Night)
The obverse of the coin features the beautiful painting known as Starry Night, by Van Gogh. The painting depicts a small village with a church and a swirling night sky filled with stars, increscent moon, and other celestial elements.
The reverse of the coin shows the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" - the name of the Queen, "TOKELAU 2022" – the country and the year of issue and "ONE DOLLAR" – the face value, "1/500 Oz" and "999/1000 FINE GOLD" – the weight and the fineness of the Gold.
Vincent Van Gogh Gallery:
Starry Night is one of the most recognized pieces of art in the world. It is absolutely everywhere, too. It can be seen on coffee, mugs, t-shirts, towels, magnets, etc. Honestly, it sometimes feels as if the painting’s fame has exceeded that of its creator. It is a magnificent piece of art. That Starry Night resonates with so many people is a testament to how its beauty is timeless and universal.
THE STORY OF STARRY NIGHT
Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889 during his stay at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh lived well in the hospital; he was allowed more freedoms than any of the other patients. If attended, he could leave the hospital grounds; he was allowed to paint, read, and withdraw into his own room. He was even given a studio. While he suffered from the occasional relapse into paranoia and fits - officially he had been diagnosed with epileptic fits - it seemed his mental health was recovering.
Unfortunately, he relapsed. He began to suffer hallucination and have thoughts of suicide as he plunged into depression. Accordingly, there was a tonal shift in his work. He returned to incorporating the darker colors from the beginning of his career and Starry Night is a wonderful example of that shift. Blue dominates the painting, blending hills into the sky. The little village lays at the base in the painting in browns, greys, and blues. Even though each building is clearly outlined in black, the yellow and white of the stars and the moon stand out against the sky, drawing the eyes to the sky. They are the big attention grabber of the painting.
THE WORK
Notice the brush strokes. For the sky they swirl, each dab of color rolling with the clouds around the stars and moon. On the cypress tree they bend with the curve of the branches. The whole effect is ethereal and dreamlike. The hills easily roll down into the little village below. In contrast, the town is straight up and down, done with rigid lines that interrupt the flow of the brush strokes. Tiny little trees soften the inflexibility of the town. Bringing nature into the unnaturalness of buildings.
One of the biggest points of interest about this painting is that it came entirely from Van Gogh’s imagination. None of the scenery matches the area surrounding Saint-Paul or the view from his window. As a man who religiously paints what he sees, it’s a remarkable break from Van Gogh’s normal work.
The contrast in styles plays on the natural versus the unnatural, dreams versus reality. Nature could even be attributed to the divine in this work. In Genesis 37:9, Joseph states, “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.” - predicting that one day his family would bow to him as an authority. Some people associate this quote to the painting. Perhaps it is a reference to Van Gogh’s family, who doubted the success of his career (with the notable exception of his brother). It could be that Van Gogh simply wanted to breathe in the higher power into his art, as he grew up in a religious household. Divide the painting into three parts. The sky is the divine. It is by far the most dreamlike, unreal part of the painting, beyond human comprehension and just out of reach. Go down one level to the cypress, the hills, and the other trees on the ground. They bend and swirl, still soft angles that match the soft swirls of the sky. The last part is the village. The straight lines and sharp angles divide it from the rest of the painting, seemingly separating it from the “heavens” of the sky. However, note the dots of trees rolled through the village, how the spire of the church stretches up to the sky. Van Gogh brings God to the village.
Vincentvangogh.org
10 Secrets of this Vincent van Gogh Night Stars Painting
1) Vincent Van Gogh painted "Starry Night" in 1889 from a room in the mental asylum at Saint-Remy where was recovering from mental illness and his ear amputation.
2) Van Gogh painted the view from his east-facing window in the asylum 21 times. Although the series depicts various times of day and night and different weather conditions, all the works include the line of rolling hills in the distance. None show the bars on the window of his room.
3) The artist considered "The Starry Night," which one day would rank among his most famous works, to be a failure, according to what he wrote to his brother.
4) Physicist Jose Luis Aragon compared the turbulent play of light and dark in such works as "Starry Night" to the mathematical expression of turbulence in such natural occurrences as as whirlpools and air streams. He found they matched very closely. Two other Van Gogh paintings from 1890, WheatField with Crows and Road with Cypress and Star also feature this mathematical parallel. Aragon suggests that since the artist created these particular artworks during periods of extreme mental agitation, Van Gogh was uniquely able to accurately communication that agitation using precise gradations of luminescence.
5) Analysts of "Starry Night" emphasize the symbolism of the stylized cypress tree in the foreground, linking it to death and Van Gogh's eventual suicide. However, the cypress also represents immortality. In the painting, the tree reaches into the sky, serving as a direct connection between the earth and the heavens. The artist may have been making more of a hopeful statement than many credit him with. This positive interpretation of the cypress symbolism hearkens back to a letter to his brother in which the artist likened death to a train that travels to the stars.
6) In his 2015 book, "Cosmographics," Michael Benson contends that the inspiration behind the distinctive swirls in the sky of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is an 1845 drawing by astronomer William Parsons, Earl of Rosse, of the Whirlpool Galaxy.
7) Research has confirmed that the dominant morning star in the painting is actually Venus, which was in a similar position at the time Van Gogh was working on "Starry Night," and it would have shone brightly, just as Van Gogh painted it.
8) The moon in the painting would not have been in the crescent phase as shown at the time Van Gogh painted "Starry Night." In reality, it would have been gibbous, or about three-quarters full.
9) Pathologist Paul Wolf postulated in 2001 that the artist's fondness for yellow in paintings like "Starry Night" resulted from taking too much digitalis, a treatment in his day for epilepsy.
10) Where is Vincent van Gogh Starry Night painting? the Vincent van Gogh night stars painting has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941.
Tokelau
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, of which it's a territory. It's usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that can take around 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll contains accommodation and a clear lagoon rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef. ― Google
Capitals: Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu
Official languages: English, Tokelauan, Samoan
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 1,411 (Oct 2011)
Area: 3.861 mi²
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Assigned to New Zealand: 11 February 1926
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2023MW Gilt Fishing Boats |
NIUE
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S$1 2023MW Gilt Vincent Van Gogh Fishing Boats
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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2023MW Niue $1 Fishing Boats Vincent Van Gogh Gilt
This beautiful 1 Oz Silver coin is part of the "170th Anniversary Vincent van Gogh" series, dedicated to the most fascinating paintings. In this edition: the Fishing Boats by Vincent Van Gogh. The coin features a wonderful square shape, and has a vibrant coloration and a partial Gilding.
Limited mintage of only 999 pieces worldwide.
The obverse of the coin presents the painting "Fishing Boats" surrounded by a beautiful Gilded frame. Created by Vincent van Gogh in 1888, the painting depicts a scene of fishing boats in the calm waters of the sea. Van Gogh's distinctive style is evident in this painting, with vibrant and bold colors used to represent the boats. The interesting use of perspective creates depth by using converging lines and diminishing scale.
The reverse of the coin features the Coat of Arms of Niue and the inscriptions: "2023" – the year of issue,"1 DOLLAR" – the face value and "Ag 999 1 Oz" - the purity of the Silver and its weight.
A Day At The Beach With Vincent Van Gogh
Located on the southern coast of France, the fishing village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Me (Saint Mary’s of the Sea) is a can’t miss tourist spot noted for how the view of the Mediterranean Sea glimmers with sunshine and charm. The area is so picturesque that Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) spent a week there in 1888 painting scenes of the village. One of the most famous of his works that emerged from this week-long frenzy of creative productivity was his masterpiece titled Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Van Gogh had watched the boats leave every morning and didn’t have time to paint them. Instead, he sketched the scene early one morning and later finished the painting in his studio, where he captured the light in the sand, sea, and sky.
Van Gogh, despite only living to 37, is known as one of the most famous and influential artists, ever.
Niue
Island Country
Niue is a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s known for its limestone cliffs and coral-reef dive sites. Migrating whales swim in Niue's waters between July and October. In the southeast is the Huvalu Forest Conservation Area, where trails through fossilized coral forests lead to the Togo and Vaikona chasms. The northwest is home to the rock pools of Avaiki Cave and the naturally formed Talava Arches. ― Google
Capital: Alofi
Dialing code: +683
Population: 1,620 (2018)
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Continent: Oceania
Official languages: Niue, English
Government: Parliamentary system, Constitutional monarchy, Non-partisan democracy
Obverse photo taken with Google Pixel 6 Pro. Reverse photo taken with Google Pixel 6 Pro. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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| 2023MW Gilt Valley with Ploughman |
NIUE
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S$1 2023MW Gilt Vincent Van Gogh Valley with Ploughman
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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2023MW Niue $1 Valley with Ploughman Seen from Above Vincent Van Gogh
This beautiful 1 Oz Silver coin is part of the Treasures of World series, dedicated to the most fascinating paintings. In this edition: Valley with Ploughman by Vincent Van Gogh. The coin features a wonderful square shape, has a vibrant coloration and a partial Gilding.
The obverse of the coin presents the painting Valley with Ploughman surrounded by a beautiful Gilded frame. It is an oil painting created in 1889, during the last year of van Gogh's life. The painting exudes a sense of awe-inspiring calmness and tranquility. Van Gogh, known for his love for nature, vividly captures the beauty of the valley and the serenity of the ploughman at work.
The reverse of the coin features the Coat of Arms of Niue and the inscriptions: 2023 – the year of issue,1 DOLLAR – the face value and Ag 999 1 Oz - the purity of the Silver and its weight.
From the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia:
This landscape is unusual in its elevated, almost bird's-eye point of view. Such an angle can be seen as an attempt to look at the world in the Japanese way, natural for an artist obsessed with Japan. However, we cannot speak of serious influence here: Van Gogh's view was individual and came from his own impressions. The dynamism distinguishing this canvas is alien to Far Eastern landscapes. The painting has an enormous internal energy. The crossing diagonals forming the borders of the fields and the ploughed furrows, the contours of the roofs, the row of cypresses - such vectors strain the composition, but not so much as to disturb the unity of the whole. It is a study from nature. The colouring of the painting and the action of the figures show us that it was executed in autumn, a time when Van Gogh worked not only on the hospital grounds, but outside them as well.
Limited mintage of only 999 pieces worldwide.
Niue
Island Country
Niue is a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s known for its limestone cliffs and coral-reef dive sites. Migrating whales swim in Niue's waters between July and October. In the southeast is the Huvalu Forest Conservation Area, where trails through fossilized coral forests lead to the Togo and Vaikona chasms. The northwest is home to the rock pools of Avaiki Cave and the naturally formed Talava Arches. ― Google
Capital: Alofi
Dialing code: +683
Population: 1,620 (2018)
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Continent: Oceania
Official languages: Niue, English
Government: Parliamentary system, Constitutional monarchy, Non-partisan democracy
Obverse photo taken with Google Pixel 6 Pro. Reverse photo taken with Google Pixel 6 Pro. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
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