Van Gogh in the News

"Sunset at Montmajour"
Vincent van Gogh, 1888

Reading the newspaper this week, I spotted a subject that makes a timely follow-on to my recent post on the olive grove paintings. It was just announced that a new Van Gogh painting has been discovered--or perhaps "authenticated" is a better word. The painting had been laying in an attic for decades, believed to be a fake. But careful research has revealed it to be the real thing. You can read the full details here.

The news was especially interesting to me because the painting was painted during Van Gogh's time in Arles, in the South of France, where our recent workshop was held. Though it depicts oak trees rather than olive trees, the colors and feel of the painting are very Provencal. 

To make this discovery even more timely, it comes just before a new Van Gogh exhibit is scheduled to open at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. The exhibit opens on October 12, and I for one hope to see it. 

And one more note on Van Gogh. A new, definitive biography was released in December. It is entitled Van Gogh: The Life, and it gets rave reviews. Weighing in at over 800 pages, it promises to keep me reading for many a night.