‘an attempt from when I was ill’

Having spent so much time in Provence, and having had several visits to Amsterdam, it is inevitable that we have both been interested in following the life and work of Van Gogh over many years. So, when an exhibition of Van Gogh Self-Portraits  was planned we had to be there. 

Today we went by train from Hythe to London and walked along from Charring Cross to Somerset House and the newly-refurbished Courtauld Gallery. We had time before our exhibition ticketed time to wander the Gallery itself, something we have meant to do for a long time, especially because we get a free entry with our Art Pass. It is surprising how many quite famous pictures there are on display there anyway. The refurbishment has meant the pictures have lots of space and the galleries are pleasant places to be. 

The Van Gogh exhibition has a good many of his self-portraits, on loan from all over the world, and set out in date order. It is a small, but fascinating display. Most of the pictures are well-known and many we had seen in various galleries on our travels, but seeing them all together like this, and being able to trace the development of an artist in this way, was fascinating. It’s a kind of once in a lifetime opportunity. For example, the two paintings in my blip are two of Van Gogh’s last as they were painted in 1889, the year before he died. They were painted within a week of each other when he was ill and in the hospital in Saint Rémy. He said he was trying to paint himself out of his illness and the difference between the two paintings is quite remarkable. But what is quite a thing to ponder is that this is the first time that these two paintings have been seen together for 130 years, not since they both left the workroom in the asylum where he painted them.