One of Van Gogh's most famous paintings - Wheatfield with Crows- was also for some time purported to be his last, and one of the analyses of the painting's meaning is that he was painting his own suicide note, as he saw his life being at an end, thus painting a dead end path in the wheat fields.
This is an analysis I have come to disagree with; to me it looks like there are distinct brushstrokes showing a turn to the right of the central path. There is a green, almost horizontal (it rises to the right slightly) mark at the bottom of the wall of wheat facing the viewer, which suggests to me a continuation of the cart wheel ruts that take a sharp turn to the right.
The potential for the error in interpretation was reinforced last weekend when we walked through the meadows of knee-high grasses surrounding Lake Cuyamaca. There were several times when we approached what appeared to be dead ends in the footpaths of trampled stalks that meandered across the flats, only to find there was a sharp turn in another direction. And the vegetation we were walking through were typically barely knee high, not waist height, as Vincent's appear to be. If the seeds got into Vincent's socks like they did into ours, no wonder he didn't want to walk any further in to paint a different angle!
On the other hand, we could say he was painting his own suicide note if we view it thus: whatever your beliefs, perhaps death is not a dead end (sorry about that pun) but just a turn in the path that causes us to disappear from view.
I have only one art fair this month, but am in a group show, and have a lot of classes scheduled.
Sep 3-5: Art in the Park, Morro Bay, CA.
Sep 7th: 5:30-8:30 Watercolor collage workshop, Incredible Art Center, Palm Springs, age 15+. $45.
Sep 8th: 6-9pm "Paint the night" Paint and Wine evening at Vanguard Gallery, Moreno Valley, CA.
Sep 10th:6-9pm Paint and Wine evening at Incredible Art Center, Palm Springs. $50
Sep 11th: 1-3:30 Watercolor collage workshop for the family, Incredible Art Center, Palm Springs, age 6+. $45
Sep 13th: Time TBD. Watercolor collage fun workshop, Eight4Nine Restaurant, Palm Springs. Contact Incredible Art Center to book.
Sep 15-Nov 6 2016: Group Show "Art Uncorked", Middleridge Winery, Idyllwild, CA.
Sep 21st: 10am-1pm: Watercolor collage workshop, sm'Art Gallery, $40.
Sep 21st: 4-7pm: Paint and Wine evening at sm'Art Gallery, La Quinta. $45.
Sep 24th: 12-4pm. Reception for "Art Uncorked".
Sep 25th: 9-5 approx. Painting for Absolute Beginners, Vanguard Gallery, Moreno Valley, CA, $110. More Info
Sep 28th: 9-4:30 approx. Painting for Absolute Beginners, sm'Art Gallery, La Quinta. $100.More Info
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