The Mend

A new exhibition of self-portraits by Vincent Van Gogh in London has received rave reviews from art critics.

The Show was awarded five stars by The Times , The Guardian , The Telegraph, The Evening Standard and iNews.

Nineteen works feature in The Show , 17 of which are self-portraits by The Tortured 19Th Century Dutch painter.

The Courtauld Gallery curator Dr Karen Serres said The Collection was " The First to explore the full span of Van Gogh 's self-portraiture".

it was " a magical and at times mysterious show" and " an exhibition of electrifying intimacy".

He wrote: " Toothless, bearded, haggard, injured, shaved, well fed, on The Mend , jaunty, natty… this superb show cascades through the many faces of Van Gogh - and reveals the anguished brilliance that lay beneath. "

He added: " It is filled with presences, absences, substitutions, and echoes of different kinds. . It shows The Artist at his most self-aware and at his most vulnerable. Every painting is both a kind of analysis and a rescue attempt. "

Several critics noted how, despite almost all of the paintings in The Show being self-portraits, The Techniques and styles vary wildly.

" The only constant is that he never smiles, "

" The Show proposes a new argument. It's time, it suggests, to finish off The Myth of Van Gogh The Mad genius, involuntarily splurging 'raw emotions' onto the canvas; rather, each self-portrait was a complex product of conscious artistic decisions.

" He painted In Between crises, staring into a mirror to fortify himself and start again. . More Than 130 years after his death, his gaze, in paint at least, still stabs your soul. "

It is widely assumed today that The Painter , who took his own life In July 1890, was suffering from Mental Health issues during his lifetime, which influenced his Work .

Van Gogh " paints with a force and a frankness in the belief that his Work would help him to get well".

She continued: " The Courtauld has pulled off a coup. Against The Pale grey walls of two small, understated galleries blaze Some of The Most vividly evocative self-portraits Art History can offer.

" It is the soul of The Artist that you find burning within them. I defy you not to feel moved. The Spirit of Van Gogh haunts this show. "

The Exhibition was " rigorous and thoughtful, with smart pairings and groupings".

" And it has a compelling argument: that we inevitably see The Artist 's paintings of himself through the prism of his Mental Health and suicide, but they should instead be seen as him pursuing a unique artistic language despite rather than because of his illness, " he wrote.

" Yes, they were vehicles for expression, but it was a More rational pursuit rather than one governed only by torment. "

The only critic from a major media outlet not to award The Show five stars who gave it four.

" He painted 35 known self-portraits, and a good chunk of them are on display in this neat little exhibition; Some of them are masterpieces, Some of them are total duds, " Frankel wrote.

" Lots of these earlier pieces are tentative, unsure, questioning - Some aren't even any good. " He concluded: " What The Impressionists did for Light - Exposed it, exalted it, wallowed in it - Van Gogh did for his own emotions. His story is tragic, but we're lucky he told it, and told it so beautifully. "

In her five-star review, how self-portraits gave Van Gogh an opportunity to experiment.

" Often, Van Gogh used himself for convenience, " she wrote. " He could experiment with ideas about How To construct a modern portrait free from the pressures that might have come with a commissioned Work .

" He also played with his image as an artist: in Some he is a cravat-wearing bohemian in his Paris garret, in others a working painter in a heavy blue smock. There are, too, flashes and clouds of introspection. "

Van Gogh Self Portraits opens at The Courtauld Gallery on Thursday and runs until 8 May .

Source of news: bbc.com