By Raj Sagar
Some people live an ordinary life but leave a legacy when they part ways with life. Van Gogh indeed has left a legacy of brilliant art, but his life was more than just ordinary. I learned about it through the Van Gogh Alive experience at Art Dubai in D3 (Dubai Design District).
I travelled back in time went through the chapters of Van Gogh’s life and realized that the origin of something as beautiful as art does not need to be beautiful. I went through not just a gallery of his work but also the stories that led to the creation of each of his art work. It showed me what kind of person he was and what inspired his artwork. He battled mental illness and depression yet was able to create renditions that have outlasted his life.
Van Gogh’s most famous work the ‘Starry Night’ inspired me to look at the night sky with a completely different lens. I think his letter to his sister throws great light on it and inspires one to change their perspective towards the wonders hidden in the night sky. Van Gogh wrote, “At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly colored than the day; having hues of the most intense violet, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, other pink or a green, blue forget-me-not brilliance. And without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky.”