Museum/Gallery Critique - Essay Example

Vincent van Goghs Irises and The first painting I chose was Vincent van Goghs Irises. Vincent van Goghs Irises, is d 1889 (Getty Museum Information Placard: Vincent van Gogh). Van Gogh used oil on canvas, which measured 28 x 36 5/8 in. (Getty Museum Information Placard: Vincent van Gogh). This painting is currently on display at the Getty Museum. The second painting chosen is Jacob Vosmaer’s A Vase with Flowers. This painting is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vosmaer used oil on wood with the dimensions of 85.1 x 62.5 cm.

A Vase with Flowers is dated 1613. I chose these two paintings because both are European paintings, but from different periods. Vincent van Goghs Irises portrays a field of Irises. All of the Irises are blue, with the exception a sole white one. This painting is of the Impressionism period. This painting is one of van Goghs brighter paintings. The shadowing is very slight and used sparingly. Van Gogh instead blended the oil into a variety of blues, greens, yellows, brown, and white. Black is used to outline some of the leaves and flowers, but is very subtle and underwhelming.

This is an exceptionally optimistic painting, considering van Gogh was in the Asylum at Saint-Rémy, France during this period. Van Gogh had his own separate room for his studio at Saint-Rémy. Van Gogh frequently painted the inside of the Asylum, the gardens from his windows, and scenes he saw on walks around the Asylum. Apparently the Irises were planted around the Asylum. A Vase with Flowers by Vosmaer is a much darker painting. This could be the influence of the wood the oil was painted on, or the painter’s preference.

Even the yellows, pinks, and whites look dark. The shadowing is very heavy, giving the appearance of a vase of flowers in a dark or semi-dark room. The vase is subtly located at the bottom of the painting on what appears to be table. It is also heavily shadowed. There are several differences in Vincent van Goghs Irises and A Vase with Flowers by Jacob Vosmaer. The first difference is the subject matter. One has irises, the other a bouquet of different flowers. Secondly, the paintings are not the same size.

Van Goghs painting is more of a landscape shape, while the Vosmaer is more of a portrait shape. Van Gogh uses more light than Vosmaer. If I had to look at both paintings, with no background, I would clearly see the different periods of the two paintings. Vincent van Goghs Irises and A Vase with Flowers by Jacob Vosmaer would have had different functions and messages. Van Goghs painting can be interpreted in different ways. Irises can be seen as a field of flowers. However, upon taking a second look, van Goghs Irises can be seen as a cry for help.

The one white flower can stand for van Goghs loneliness. Another interpretation could have the white irises representing something spiritual. The interpretations could be endless. The function of this painting was to hang on an art gallerys wall. On the other hand, A Vase with Flowers by Jacob Vosmaer seems to be more straightforward. This painting is a vase with flowers. The function of this painting was to hang on a wall. The difference between a direct experience and a mediated experience are in the detail.

Online, pictures, and other mediated experiences, the textures and brush strokes cannot be seen. Depending on where the painting is viewed, the colors can be distorted. In a direct experience, every brush stroke can be seen. The canvas does not look smooth with a direct experience. Swirls, bumps, and imperfections in the canvas can be observed. It is better to have a direct experience. Both van Gogh’s Irises and A Vase with Flowers by Jacob Vosmaer are paintings with the same subject matter.

However each artist, due to the different periods, developed their subject uniquely. The shadowing was the biggest difference. Van Gogh used light shading and shadowing, whereas Vosmaer used heavy shading and shadowing. Both are exceptional paintings, I hope to see in person one day. ReferencesGetty Museum Information Placard: Vincent van Gogh. Accessed 19 Apr. 2009 from http://www.getty.edu/museum/