Yet, the warmth of the sun is overwhelming and the bright blue is a thing of beauty in itself, but there is something unsettling about this scene, too. It inspires loneliness. The house is there, as if in the middle of nowhere. The two black crows following the man, looking for the seeds are his only companions. Like in so many of Van Gogh's landscapes, the image seems to be reversed, like in a distorted image of a parallel reality or as if reflected by a huge mirror hung over the earth.
Van Gogh's love of literature and especially poetry transpires from his paintings. Although the painter does not abuse color, he creates a symbiosis between color and drawing, combining sketches and patches of color in such a successful way that he realizes true poems on a canvas. Be it a poem about the meaningless of human life in a Night Cafe or about fertility, rebirth, renewal, hope...
He was able to elaborate on his art in his numerous letters and although they are highly useful for those who want to understand it better, they are in no way destined to solve the enigma that belongs to such works of art. There will always be a place for interpretation and endless discussions on Van Gogh's choice of color or perspective, just as there will be thousands of pages left for critics and viewers alike to write upon studying his art.
Bibliography
1. van Heughten, Sjaar. Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night. The Museum of Modern Art. New York. 2008.
2. Suh, Anna. Van Gogh's Letters: The Mind of the Artist in Paintings, Drawings and Words. September 2010.
