Loving Vincent

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Self Portrait with Straw Hat 1887 Vincent van Gogh

“Well, the truth is, we cannot speak other than by our paintings.”

- Vincent van Gogh, the week of his death, 1890,
in a letter to his brother Theo

Everyone is talking about the movie, Loving Vincent, and with good reason. Nothing like it has ever been done before, and nothing else looks like it. Like many of you, we had seen the trailers on Facebook and You Tube, and they were fascinating and beautiful. However, until we sat down to watch the entire film, the impact of what has been achieved by directors Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman can not be fully appreciated.

Watching what is essentially 66,900 gorgeous and constantly changing oil paintings is a revelation and a deeply moving experience. The tragic story of the last days of van Gogh’s short life could not have been told more poignantly any other way, although others have tried. This is a painter’s fil…