Van Gogh (5)

  
   Above was always my favorite Van Gogh, "Field With Crows". There's really something undeniably dark and unsettling about it, whether that's just from the emotionally charged brushstrokes or the field itself, and that always appealed to me for multiple reasons. But for the most part, I find it so interesting not just because of its ominous tone, but the fact that it's a perfect reflection of Van Gogh himself, for better or worse.
   Van Gogh's story is arguably the most tragic in art. His fame was entirely posthumous for starters. That comes off as especially cruel to us now, knowing that we're even discussing him in this light, let alone the art community as a whole putting him on a pedestal. It's hard to tell how Van Gogh would have even reacted to that kind of praise. Despite being in almost complete obscurity, Van Gogh's voice was uncompromised throughout his work, something any artist should respect more than anything. And Van Gogh died under the assumption that his voice went unrecognized. It's a shame. But anyway, that's not really the tragedy I see in this work, that's more just an extremely depressing backdrop. What I see is a reflection of his turbulent and troubled mind itself. The crows seem clearly agitated (assuming they're flying away from the field) and in the way, the painting itself does as well. The sky sort of churns and writhes into itself, noticeably different from the more aesthetic "Starry Night" that we all know so well. It's hard for the viewer to even discern whether or not we're looking at day or night here. The thing is, this is pretty much the point in my mind. And obviously it's up for interpretation, that's what's great about art after all, but I see this as a turbulent landscape that lacks any logic at all. Similar to the obviously turbulent and violently depressed mind of Van Gogh. Whether he intended it or not, I feel like his paintings came to be his outlet for making sense of his mind frame. "Field with Crows" especially comes off as a purely emotional representation of what his life left him with. Most artists do that anyway, but it's clear that the painting's weren't therapeutic enough in his case. And that's a shame too.