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We already had an article about Vincent Van Gogh on stamps. That article focused on his biography. In the today’s article we’ll talk more about the art of Vincent Van Gogh, and see related stamps.
I guess that we’ve all heard of some if not all of his most important artworks like Starry Night (1889), The Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888), Sunflowers series (1888-1889), Irises (1889), The Bedroom (1888). You can’t talk about Vincent’s art and not to mention Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (1887).
Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh
Bhutan – 1970/05/06
2 Bhutanese chhertum
These artworks are almost the perfect sample of his most common motifs - landscapes, flowers and still life, portraits and self-portraits, interiors, and seascapes. These motifs dominate the most of his portfolio. And as an interesting note – “There are over 35 self-portraits by Vincent but just one portrait photo of him.” - www.vangoghmuseum.nl
Heliotropism is the behavior of the plants that they turn towards the sun. Some of the flowers act that way, but it’s definitely most notable as a behavior of sunflower. You can notice that the flower “follows” the Sun travelling east to west. And, besides that, sunflower are pretty big and nice flowers.
International Stamp Exhibition FILACEPT '88
Sunflowers (Vincent Van Gogh) & The Chess Game (Lucas Van Leyden)
North Korea – 1988/09/18
40 & 60 North Korean chon
It’s no wonder that a flower like that occupied the mind and the brush of Vincent Van Gogh. Therefore, he had the “Sunflower series”. The series included four major artworks and some smaller works and sketches.
As previously mentioned, Vincent Van Gogh painted at least 35 self-portraits. There are few reasons behind the decision to create so many self-portraits. First, and maybe the most important was that the motif was here, since he was the motif. Also, since he suffered from mental health issues, this was a way of self-reflection. This was also the way how he could document his life and journey. Of course, there are artistic reasons too, and maybe the most important one is an artistic exploration.
“People say – and I’m quite willing to believe it – that it’s difficult to know oneself – but it’s not easy to paint oneself either.” - Vincent Van Gogh in letter to Theo Van Gogh
Works of Art on Postage Stamps (1993)
Joan Miró (1893-1983): Composition, 1933
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890): Green Rye, 1889
Czech Republic – 1993/11/08
11 & 14 Kč (Czech koruna)
Also, we’ve already mentioned that there is just one portrait, not a self-portrait, of Vincent Van Gogh. That portrait was painted in 1887 by the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Art of Vincent Van Gogh
Wheat Field Cypresses, Self Portrait (Vincent Van Gogh),
Starry Night, Irises,
Sunflowers, The Olive Trees
Azerbaijan - 2023/07/10
0.50 m. (Azerbaijani manat)
"Many artists have drawn inspiration from Vincent’s self-portraits. They have been reproduced an infinite number of times since the early 20th century.
The self-portraits put a face to the man who became the archetype of the artist as tortured genius. The yellow straw hat is now firmly associated with Vincent and his love of the sun and the colour yellow." - www.vangoghmuseum.nl
Today we’ve seen some of the most important art of Vincent Van Gogh. And, of course, related stamps. While you wait for the next article, feel free to take a look at previous articles related to art and literature.
Philately and Literature: Agatha Christie
Art and Philately: Rembrandt – Top 10 Facts You Should Know
Art and Philately: Vincent Van Gogh on Stamps
Science Fiction and Philately – 2001: A Space Odyssey – Top 12 Interesting Facts
Writers on Stamps: Hans Christian Andersen - Few Facts You Should Know
