Artist of the Term: Van Gogh

I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say ‘he feels deeply, he feels tenderly’.

— Vincent Van Gogh

This term we have returned to an old friend, Vincent Van Gogh. It is remarkable how familiar the children are with his paintings just from seeing memorabilia and prints in shop windows or hanging on café walls. Like many artists, he produced such beautiful and vibrant paintings amidst such deep personal sorrow. I remember reading Irving Stone’s classic fictional biography Lust for Life as a teenager over and over again and being intrigued by his sad life that brought so much beauty. Navigating the traumatic side of Van Gogh’s life has been enlightening for the children.

To help guide us through some of Van Gogh’s key works we are using Simply Charlotte Mason’s Van Gogh Picture Study Portfolio. All the work is then done for me. The downloadable pdf is a beautifully put together short biography, and a selection of 8 works with a little information on each and some questions to discuss orally with the children. We tend to look at a painting a week. This week was Starry Night.

Below I’ve put some other picture books we are enjoying to bring Van Gogh to life a little more, and some other free resources I’ve found on the web.