Vincent's Chair, 1888, 93 x 73.5 cm,
National Gallery.
Gauguin's Chair, 1888, 90.5 x
72 cm, Rijksmuseum
The
color composition of this work is based on variations around the
pairs of primary complementaries--blue and orange, and red and
green. These appear in their purest form only in occasional
passages, to set the keynotes for the composition. Thus the area
of purest red on the paving beneath the chair is balanced by
touches of green above it and by a further stroke of green on the
nearest chair leg. Van Gogh stresses structure through emphatic
outlines, added later, that serve to contain areas of pure
painting. The strength of these increases the impact of the image,
but also creates a certain tension between line and color. In
distorting the perspective of the floor and the chair leg, Van
Gogh imposed his own personality upon the work, stressing the
subjectivity of his view.
The
pipe, handkerchief and tobacco give a focus to the picture in both
narrative and pectoral terms, providing a note of neutral white at
the centre of the interplay of cool and warm hues. The use of blue
to outline the parts of the chair increases the sense of cool
draftsmanship restraining the sensuous handling of the
painting.
The
floor tiles are painted with the waving brushstrokes that Van Gogh
often used in the backgrounds of his work at this time. Short
horizontal and vertical strokes alternate in a loose mesh of reds,
browns and greens. The thickness of the paint used is revealed by
the heavy smear from the side of the brush that is left alongside
each stroke. William Hardy's book
Van
Gogh: The History and Techniques of the Great Masters
Vincent
van Gogh The Chair Vincent probably got the notion for this painting from an
engraving he purchase while he worked at a London Gallery (1873), the print is
of Charles Dickens’s empty chair in commemoration of the great author.
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