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Van Gogh's Sacred Realism
A Protestant Painter
The son and grandson of a pastor and a preacher himself, Vincent van Gogh had a relationship with the physical world that was shaped by his knowledge of Protestant doctrine.
The evidence of this religious influence in his handling of figures, his obsession with framing and his love of labour invites a new interpretation proposed by Debora Silverman.
A look back at his biography.
At the age of twenty-three, Van Gogh declared his intention to devote himself to evangelism, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who were both Protestant ministers. He alternated between studying theology in Amsterdam (1877–78) and Brussels (1878), while also gaining practical experience as a preacher in Ramsgate and London (1876) and the Belgian Borinage (1879).
Chapter 1 - A Calvinist Education
Just as Van Gogh was unable to conform to theological teaching…
He was equally intolerant of the academic fine arts education when he decided to become an artist in 1879 and taught himself to draw instead. To better master perspective, he used a perspective frame, satisfying both his Protestant requirements and the Dutch passion for optical sciences since the 17th century.
Chapter 2 - The Perspective Impulse
Van Gogh weaves and ploughs…
He sometimes described his paintings as 'weavings of threads of paint' and 'fields ploughed by the brush'. By doing so, he likened his craft as a painter to that of a weaver or a farmer, celebrating the redemptive nature of labour.
Chapter 3 - From Weaving to Ploughing
After settling in Arles…
Van Gogh discovered Provençal Catholic folklore, including its living nativity scenes, santons markets, and pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. The Berceuses series can be seen as a former preacher's secular response to the Catholic celebrations of Provence.
Chapter 4 - Under Catholic Influence
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