Van Gogh Repetitions
Currently on view at The Phillips Collection is Van Gogh Repetitions, an exhibition examining Vincent van Gogh’s artistic process. The exhibition focuses on van Gogh’s repeated rendering of particular images, and examines many questions about van Gogh’s unique artistic process: what was the speed with which he painted and why did it sometimes vary? What is the difference between painting en plein air (French for “in the open air,” or on site), and copying such works in the studio? Why did he copy works painted by his friends?
If you can’t make it to the Phillips Collection to see the exhibition (or the Cleveland Museum of Art, where the exhibition is headed next), don’t fret. There are two ways you can explore some of these masterpieces from the comfort of your own home. In the video below, curator Elizabeth Rathbone introduces Van Gogh Repetitions. She presents 26 works and outlines many of the important questions examined by the exhibition. Afterwards, you may want to pick up the sumptuously illustrated exhibition catalogue, which delves deeply into these questions with essays by Eliza Rathbone, William H. Robinson, Elizabeth Steele, and Marcia Steele.
Van Gogh Repetitions is on view at The Phillips Collection through January 26, 2014.
