Van Gogh’s self-portraits come to Korea

“Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat” (1887)

“Self-Portrait” (1887)

Koreans love Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh’s bold use of color, unique brushstrokes and sentiment in his paintings. This makes the expectations on the coming Van Gogh exhibit higher.

Hosted by Hankook Ilbo, The Korea Times’ sister paper, 60 of Van Gogh’s works, including nine self-portraits, will be on display at “Van Gogh in Paris: A Dialogue with Modernism” exhibition at Hangaram Design Museum in Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, from Nov. 8.

This is the second exhibit of Van Gogh in Korea. The first retrospective was in 2007 and drew more than 820,000 visitors. This exhibit sheds light on Van Gogh’s Paris Period (March 1886-February 1888). He was a Realist painter in Netherlands, but his style changed significantly when he resided and painted in Paris.

“Self-Portrait” (1887). A total of 60 Van Gogh’s works, including nine self-portraits, will be on display at “Van Gogh in Paris: A Dialogue with Modernism” exhibition at Hangaram Design Museum in Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, from Nov. 8 through March 24, 2013. / Courtesy of Hankook Ilbo Cultural Project Center

“Van Gogh spent only some 10 years of his life as a painter and the Paris Period is when his style as an artist was established,” Seo Soun-jou, commissioner of the exhibit, said. “The exhibit shows how Van Gogh is transfigured into a modernist painter and how scientific research was conducted on his works.”

Most of the masterpieces are from the Van Gogh Museum, which is undergoing a renovation through next April, and Koreans are lucky enough to see the master’s works without having to travel to the Netherlands.

This exhibit provides a rare opportunity to appreciate nine of Van Gogh’s self-portraits together in variety of poses and shades.

“He painted a lot of self-portraits when he was in Paris to study the human figure and color. He didn’t have money to hire models, so he had no choice but to paint himself,” Seo said. “When he was in Paris, Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism were in vogue. Some of Van Gogh’s works are influenced by the trend, but he interpreted it in his own way.”

“Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat” (1887) could be one of his finest pieces on display, showcasing Van Gogh’s distinctive brush stroke and swirls, influenced by pointillism.

“Pere Tanguy” is from Musee Rodin in Paris and it is the first time for the treasured painting to travel outside France. Van Gogh painted Julien Tanguy, the owner of an art supply shop, and the piece demonstrates how Van Gogh’s style progressed based on the Impressionist influences. It also shows Van Gogh’s love of Japanese prints, as his ukiyo-e prints are in the background. This piece has the highest insurance coverage of around 100 million euros.

The exhibition is based on thorough research on the painter’s works and designed to help viewers understand his life better. Researchers of the Van Gogh Museum studied the people and locations that appeared in the paintings and what material was used to draw them. They also conducted X-ray analysis on them to see what was underneath the final product.

At first, the small bird drawn in “Wheatfield with Partridge” was assumed to be a skylark, but researchers concluded that it is a partridge according to the time and place it was painted. A stuffed partridge will be on display together with the artwork for better understanding.

Van Gogh lived in extreme poverty and sometimes had to reuse his canvases. Another painting was found behind “In the Cafe: Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin” and the X-ray analysis will be exhibited next to the original piece.

“Van Gogh in Paris: A Dialogue with Modernism” will open on Nov. 8 and run through March 24, 2013. Closed on last Mondays of the month.

Admission is 15,000 won for adults; 10,000 won for students and 8,000 won for children. For more information, visit www. vangogh2.com or call 1588-2618. <The Korea Times/Kwon Mee-yoo>