What’s Wrong with the Art World?
Van Gogh, L'Homme est en mer (Oct. 1889) Oil on canvas.
What is wrong with the art world? Why can't they see Van Gogh's self-portrait in the fireplace (above)? It is so obvious that a child would recognize it if shown. Whatever the reason, no expert can. That means that this colorful and late self-portrait by Van Gogh, a great rarity, is estimated by Sothebys to sell next month for a piddling £6-8 million. It should be worth three times that.
Detail of Van Gogh's L'Homme est en mer with detail of 1889 Self-portrait, inset.
Need I point out his wavy moustache, the dividing line of his lips, his blue eyes and flock of hair brushed upwards. All else is amorphous, Vincent's ghost in the fireplace. While he copied the basic composition from a picture by a dull contemporary painter, he not only painted it in his late-signature style but changed details beyond the fireplace too, all of which turns someone else's illustration into great art. He probably even based his fiery head, aflame with creative ideas, on this precise self-portrait because it was painted the same year with similar coloring and lighting. If you've got some spare change, dash to London and buy it..(and please leave me a tip for the tip.) It's a steal.
And it's not the only such portrait that Sotheby's have missed in their February 5th sale. Of the ten or so highlights illustrated in their monthly magazine, five more have hidden self-portraits that no-one in the trade or academia has noticed. That shows how common they are and why there are several in almost any room of paintings in a major museum, all still safely unseen. Does anybody know why?
Posted 22 Jan 2014: Visual MetamorphosisVan GoghPortraitureVisual Perception
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Reader Comments
Oh my god! Every single time I come to this site my mind is blown! I can’t believe I didn’t see this. It’s even the same colours. The baby is the creation. There is certainly a lot more going on here if one reads it with the self portrait. Truly amazing. Thank you so much for helping me see all of this. You have also helped me see these things in my own work- I too am a painter. Please check out the link to my site. I’ve been trying to keep some of the things you have written about in mind while I work. Please keep going.
Rick Rojnic
29 Jan 2014
Most supposed art experts can’t see these because they actually refuse to look for these type techniques and to top that off these images that they refuse to look at are just a part of Vincent’s style and techniques. You show us the larger portrait but what about all the rest of the little ones which are shadowed by many more which actually turns into larger ones and when looked at at different angles and different lighting many more appear.
If you tell to many about these things that you see in these paintings people who can’t see them will begin to believe you are ready for the nut house like the one that Vincent went to in 1888-9. These are in fact the artists techniques and only able to be produced by their own hand. Where Vincent is concerned, let’s say about his works of art, no real signature is needed that can be read ledge-ably. A computer will tell you yes or no what ever the case.
Now are you understanding more of why the MFA experts can’t see these things? Like most all Art expert, connoisseurs, French art expert police have known this for some time now, that about 50% of all the art in this MFA world are faked, who the hell do you think would want to straighten that out? The ones owning the good ones or the fakes? Don’t forget, this is roughly a 8 to 10 billion dollar a year business you’d be messing with.
cheers
vanrijngo
Bob Miller
14 Aug 2016