The Van Gogh Gallery Blog

We recently received a request for more information about Van Gogh’s painting La Mousmé, Sitting and the specifically the meaning of La Mousmé in English. According to The National Gallery of Art website, La Mousmé “came from a character in a popular novel set in Japan. ‘A mousmé is a Japanese girl-Provençal in this case-twelve to fourteen years old.’” For more information please see the National Gallery of Art’s description of La Mousmé. If you have more information about this painting, or a question about another painting, please feel free to comment.  I will do my best to help you find out more about it. I will also share any items of interest that I come across, so that everyone may benefit.

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We have had several inquiries recently about the paintings described in the first stanza of Don McLean’s hit song “Vincent.”  The Van Gogh Gallery has a Starry, Starry Night page that breaks down the lyrics and names paintings that are referenced in the song.  However, we have not broken down the song line by line and associated each with a particular painting.  With almost 900 paintings in Van Gogh’s collection, it may be hard to say which paintings, if any in particular, are being referred to specifically in the song.  If you would like to offer your ideas on which paintings are being referred to, you can access the complete Van Gogh Catalog on the Van Gogh Gallery, or view the interactive Van Gogh Book which chronicles some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings.  We would like to thank Unidev for doing the custom software development for these sections of the site.  After you have had a chance to view his vast collection, please feel free to comment with your thoughts on which paintings you think best match the lyrics.

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If you are in Amsterdam, or visiting other areas of The Netherlands this summer, you may want to take the train down to Zundert to see The Vincent van GoghHuis.  The Vincent van GoghHuis Zundert will open on August 29, 2008 with a permanent exhibition “Vincent van Gogh: Roots of a Master” which covers the life of Van Gogh beginning in his birthplace Zundert. The Vincent van GoghHuis will also feature a temporary exhibition “Zadkine & Van Gogh” from September 2008 to January 2009.  If you would like more information about The Vincent van GoghHuis, or other places to tour which follow Van Gogh’s life in his footsteps learn more about Van Gogh travel.

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In Stockton, CA Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Crows is being reinvented on a cow-shaped canvas.  The life-sized cow sculpture is one of the entries in Lucerne’s 3rd annual Art of Dairy Art Contest.  Sixteen year old Cynthia Mora, a Junior at Weber Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, used one of Van Gogh’s most famous works as her inspiration for the contest entry.  Although this is not the first time Van Gogh’s work has been reimagined, it may be the first time his style has been copied onto a life-sized fiberglass cow.  To see more unique works inspired by Van Gogh read more about Van Gogh in today’s culture.

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The first major Van Gogh exhibit, “Voyage into the Myth,” to come to the Seoul Museum of Art drew a large audience.  Museum visitors flocked to see some of Van Gogh’s early works including paintings, drawings and sketches.  Irises and Sower were some of the 45 paintings included in the exhibit.  This exhibit was the first retrospective Van Gogh Exhibit to take place in Korea.  For more on this exhibit please click here.

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One of van Gogh’s major influences, John Everett Millais, will have his work displayed at the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands until May 18.  Featured in the exhibit will be atmospheric landscapes that made an impact on van Gogh.  For more information on the exhibit, visit artxworld.com or vangoghmuseum.nl.

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Renoir’s old home in Paris is profiled in the Luxist blog.  The home is located in the same neighborhood where Vincent van Gogh lived.  The blog includes some stunning pictures of the property.

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Absinthe, the alcohol banned from the United States for a century, is legal again.  The Napa Valley Register has a good article about the history of the alcohol, including what it has done to Van Gogh and other famous artists and authors.  At the end of the article are famous cocktails that can be created with absinthe.  Drink at your own risk!

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The Van Gogh sketchbook found in Greece has been making news lately.  Now, we can see some of van Gogh’s drawings in the sketchbook.  MonstersandCritics.com has four of the pictures from the sketchbook.

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A sketchbook recently found by a Greek woman will soon by examined for authenticity by foreign art experts, Reuters reports.  A Greek expert already concluded that the sketchbook was real.  The book would likely be worth close to four million euros.  Even with the incredible price, the owner says that she has no immediate plans to sell the sketchbook if it is found to be real.

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