Since I posted Susan Boyle a few weeks ago, it's hard to find a magazine that hasn't picked up this story. (No, I don't think this blog is responsible for her fame!!) When I returned home from work yesterday, I even found my husband in front of the computer listening to Susan Boyle....I didn't know he knew about Youtube!!! Anyway, now there is another hit from the show, and I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more about him, also. His name is Shaheen Jafargholi, and he is 12 years old. I can't embed the video, but you can click here to hear him sing...he's so cute!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLVtepgE5EY
Today when I turned on my computer, there was a picture of my new favorite artist, Vincente Van Gogh. The article was about the fact that many now feel he was not the one to cut off his own ear. Interesting. Anyway, since I just had the joy of seeing his original in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, I will post some of my impressions.
The exhibit that I saw was entitled, Colors of the Night. It featured paintings that explored the use of light and color. Prior to this exhibit, about all I knew about the artist was his tortured soul. While viewing the paintings, his intense love of life and nature became apparent. I also never knew of his love for literature; the "English teacher"side of me was drawn to the way his spirit was deeply moved by words. It also was apparent that he was a man of faith; he had a desire to become an evangelist and even attended a school of theology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLVtepgE5EY
Today when I turned on my computer, there was a picture of my new favorite artist, Vincente Van Gogh. The article was about the fact that many now feel he was not the one to cut off his own ear. Interesting. Anyway, since I just had the joy of seeing his original in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, I will post some of my impressions.
The exhibit that I saw was entitled, Colors of the Night. It featured paintings that explored the use of light and color. Prior to this exhibit, about all I knew about the artist was his tortured soul. While viewing the paintings, his intense love of life and nature became apparent. I also never knew of his love for literature; the "English teacher"side of me was drawn to the way his spirit was deeply moved by words. It also was apparent that he was a man of faith; he had a desire to become an evangelist and even attended a school of theology.
The exhibit entwined his paintings with some of the writings that moved his heart. His feelings were expressed in the moving letters that he wrote. The actual letters were also on display. Here is an excerpt from a letter that he wrote to his brother. Notice the way he writes about colors.
I should like to paint the portrait of an artist friend, a man who dreams great dreams, who works as the nightingale sings, because it is his nature. He'll be a blond man. I want to put my appreciation, the love I have for him into the picture. So I paint him as he is, as faithfully as I can, to begin with.
But the picture is not yet finished. To finish it I am now going to be the arbitrary colourist. I exaggerate the fairness of the hair, I even get to orange tones, chromes and pale citron-yellow.
Behind the head, instead of painting the ordinary wall of the mean room, I paint infinity, a plain background of the richest, intensest blue that I can contrive, and by this simple combination of the bright head against the rich blue background, I get a mysterious effect, like a star in the depths of an azure sky.
But the picture is not yet finished. To finish it I am now going to be the arbitrary colourist. I exaggerate the fairness of the hair, I even get to orange tones, chromes and pale citron-yellow.
Behind the head, instead of painting the ordinary wall of the mean room, I paint infinity, a plain background of the richest, intensest blue that I can contrive, and by this simple combination of the bright head against the rich blue background, I get a mysterious effect, like a star in the depths of an azure sky.
This is the painting described above. Notice the use of intense azure blue and citron yellow, the very colors he describes in his letter.
The last thing I made is a rather large study of an avenue of poplars, with yellow autumn leaves, the sun casting, here and there, sparkling spots on the fallen leaves on the ground, alternating with the long shadows of the stems. At the end of the road is a small cottage, and over it all the blue sky through the autumn leaves.This quote was taken from a letter to his brother and describes this painting. A poem by Coppee was his inspiration.
The Van Gogh Museum
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