Vincent van Gogh is the subject of a new documentary which screens as part of Art on Screen films at Ster-Kinekor’s Cinema Nouveau next week.
Two years in the making, the Vincent van Gogh – A New Way of Seeing, is not only a biography of the artist’s life, but also provides access to Amsterdam’s celebrated Van Gogh Museum.
The 90-minute documentary is both a reshowing of the gallery’s collection as well as a celebraton of the 125th anniversary of the artist’s death.
Renowned curators, art historians and artists provide insight into the life and work of the artist, including Vincent Willem van Gogh (great grandson of Theo van Gogh), president of the Van Gogh Institute, Dominique-Charles Janssens, and Van Gogh Museum senior researchers, Teio Meedendorp and Louis van Tilborgh.
The Van Gogh Museum, which recently re-hung their works to tell the true story of Van Gogh’s life and work, contains more than 200 of his paintings, drawings and letters as well as works by his contemporary.
As film director David Bickerstaff pointed out, Van Gogh only painted in the last 10 years of his life, but produced more than 450 works in the last five years of his life, with many of his masterpieces dating from this period.
Bickerstaff was also surprised by what a prolific lettter writer he was: “He was not some mad, isolated genius, but a deep-thinking man who was extremely well-read, observant and dedicated to understanding the essence of making art.” – Film Writer
• Screens at Cinema Nouveau, tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 2.30pm.