Van Gogh's Final Art

When Vincent van Gogh arrived in the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise in late May 1890, seeking a new life after a year in a mental asylum, he embarked on an explosion of art creativity, producing more than 70 paintings within two months. It turned out to be a frenzied farewell: he shot himself on July 27 and died two days later at age 37. Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Museum brings together 29 of the works in what is billed as a first-ever exhibition to focus on the Dutch artist's final days. Titled "The Final Landscapes," it features 26 paintings and three drawings gathered from galleries and private art collections worldwide. "I am working a good deal and quickly these days," van Gogh wrote to his sister on June 13 from Auvers. "By doing this, I seek to find an expression for the desperately swift passing away of things in modern life." Light and color —predominantly greens, blues and yellows — and van Gogh's trademark rough, brick-shaped brush strokes burst forth from the paintings, with the artist returning to his favorite themes of fields and woods, country paths and farmhouses. When van Gogh stopped in Paris on his way to Auvers, he had an experience that would prove crucial to his final phase: for the first time in his life, he saw his entire output, from "The Potato Eaters" to the "The Starry Night" in his brother's house and a friend's studio. It was a chance for him to review his work - it was like he was paying homage to all that inspired him. (For full source and article click the Headline). Irish Art