Timeless illusions

A piece of art: timelessly classic. There is a reason why most of the famous pieces of art are from the times when self-expression was still a delicacy.

To be forever remembered.

It’s unlikely that the man who simply wanted his wife to be drawn by Leonardo da Vinci would have a foreboding that it would be hung on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris ever since 1797. Studied by millions of people, being of such value that it was stolen by the man who was supposed to create a protection case to preserve the painting and ultimately, even I, would be giving my piece of mind over it. The man just wanted a portrait of his wife. But regardless it became a timeless classic.

Neither would Vincent van Gogh have thought that the painting he drew from the asylum he stayed at, would grow to be the most famous painting in the world. It would have never been his intention.

The Starry Night (1889)

The painting of the starry night at first glance seems to be globs of blue, yellow and mud brown splattered on paper. Nothing special. Anyone could draw it nowadays. But looking at the backstory, the painting seems to be alluring, mysterious and melancholic at the same time. This work was done at the mental asylum Van Gogh was staying at to cope with the mental issues he was experiencing. The scene of the starry night is a view from a window. But the bars from the window are never visible in the painting. It almost seems like when he was doing his art, he wanted to depict unknown freedom and the bounds of the asylum he was staying at melted the moment he was inspired by the view from the window; or maybe it was his acute longing for the outside.

In addition, the cyprus tree in the painting is thought to be a symbol of his eventual suicide. The tree acts as a connection between the earth and heaven. Regardless of the grim symbolism, there seems to be an underlying positive interpretation as the artist had written in a letter to his brother about how death is like a train that takes you to the stars.

With the swirls going on in the sky, it needed to be realized that astronomy was a pretty major theme surrounding the painting. The dominant morning star in the painting, near the cyprus tree, according to research done, isn’t a star, but the planet Venus as it is understood that at the time when the painting was drawn the placement of the planet was in a similar position, shining brightly .

The yellow which is very prominent throughout the painting would have been used, since the color looked intense, following digitalis; a treatment for epilepsy back in the time, according to Nighthawks (1942) pathologist Paul Wolf in 2001.

Nighthawks(1942)

This painting while depicting a scene of barrenness coincidentally got its finishing touches a few weeks after the bombing of the Pearl Harbor and hence the American entry into World War II. Emptiness and dread of being left behind is although unspoken, is loud, in this painting.

The loneliness depicted in the painting could have also been a direct connection to his unhappy married life. Jo, his wife, whom he married when they were in their 40s was a moderately successful artist and was a major reason why it was possible for him to get his fame through the introduction his wife had done for him to the curators at the Brooklyn museum. But he only belittled her artistic talent and was apparently never thankful for her contributions. This isolation from one's partner almost as if they were living at different dimensions could be seen in some of his other paintings portraying unhappy couples like the Room in New York (1932), Summer Evening (1947) and Excursion into Philosophy (1959).Room in New York (1932)

Room in New York(1932)

Summer Evening(1947)

Excursions into Philosophy(1959)

This loneliness and detachment he felt would also have contributed to the isolated scene of the Nighthawks.

It’s not to say, his wife was perfect, she was an extremely possessive woman and didn’t like other women posing for her husband’s works of art and hence she became the model for every one of his paintings, even the “girlie show” at 60 years old.

Girlie Show(1941)

For Hopper, the painting would have told a personal story of the trials at his times; the looming war and his unhappy marriage life as seen by the detached people, the neon lighting giving it an eerie glow. Looking at it in a different perspective, it could be that one shop opens at night where there is a buzz of conversation or people minding their own business, but for a lonely soul it could be a beacon of hope to be in that atmosphere, a warm place at the dead of the night.

In any event, from the artists’ perspective, this seems to be somber; like his many other paintings, where the characters depict tension. The man and the lady in the painting seem to be physically close, but yet they seem to be miles apart. It almost seems that their hands are touching but it’s like they are in different times, as seen by how the cup the lady has is steaming hot but the one the man has isn’t steaming but looks to be gone cold, almost like he has waited a while for her, and given the detached relationship he had with his wife as the years grew, this distance seems to signify more, with no signs of communication but somber expressions and tensed faces.

Regardless, Hopper was an inspiration for filmmakers both in his time and the new wave. This scene itself was recreated for the movies, with the diner depicting ‘emotional dysfunction’. This painting, resonating quite anguish, was an immediate success, maybe due to how it rings close to the hearts of most people. The painting was bought and is still displayed in the Art institute of Chicago.

A six foot tall boy at the age of 12, further leading to a growing sense of isolation and loneliness, and his highly introverted personality leading to being uncomfortable at social settings, and a marriage that regardless of a union seemed to be a lonely one man journey: the painting gives a sense of comfort in depicting that loneliness is normal. But again, as seen by the painting: we aren’t actually “alone” in our loneliness.

The Scream (1893)

A universal symbol of angst and anxiety–even if it’s called the scream, with its hauntingly open mouth space, it’s not screaming at all. Rather, the covering of the ears is an indication of the artists’ attempt to block out the screams and the noise of the outside.

The years during the industrialization, Europe was grappling with political unrest: the rich getting richer, death and diseases, the talk of the existence of God, changing dynamics in social responsibilities of men and women…a hot mess. Munch wasn’t left alone either, as on a personal scale, his life too was ruled by death, disease and sickness. And all this noise going on around him would have been an inspiration for his painting, to block out all the outside echoes of horror.

Munch's father never supported his career as an artist as the father was a Christian, hence believing that such a profession was unholy. The death of his mother, 2 sisters, only brother while Munch himself being sickly with his father and grandfather suffering from depression… a traumatic childhood left a scar on him, an inspiration for most of his works.

“The Scream” was one of the works out of 22 he made for his most renowned series, “the frieze of life”, in the 1890s, depicting almost a poem of life, love and death. The scream focuses on the inner psychology of a man. One might say that the disfigured, almost disturbingly ghost-like ghoul could be drawn by anyone, but it’s the thought process that counts. Inspired by his childhood very possibly as well, to bring forth the eeriness of mortality. The main figure seems to blend into the background, to all the chaos, while the 2 friends he was walking with when this particular moment struck him are physically distant and are vertical unlike the ghoul-like man, walking on a straight road, oblivious to the doom.

The unnatural colors in the sky, according to scientists, could be a result of the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 that generated incredible sunsets in Europe as an aftermath for some months. Critics at that time questioned Munch’s mental state and this seemingly deeply hurt him as he had a forbidding outlook on insanity. The inscription that was later added on by pencil, barely visible, states in Munch’s handwriting: “could only have been painted by a madman”, after its first exhibition in 1895. These wordings seem to exude a sense of bitterness for his critics.

All of us would have at least once experienced the desperate need to shut down everything around us, as it gets too much. “The Scream” of the outside, tormenting the man into blocking out everything while his friends are seemingly not affected, would be relatable to most of us who are living in our own bubbles of pain and despair, unknown even to our closest people. Times may change but the emotion evoked remains.

Of all the above artists, one thing seems to be common. They were all desperately trying to express themselves in the rawest way possible. Just like how people listen to songs when they want to revel in certain feelings of sadness, victory or happiness; paintings with its strong brush strokes and precise hand movements is another form of art that many would be able to relate to. Beauty of these classic pieces of art would be how the whole picture could be unraveled in a manner the audience could relate to. The art would obviously have had its own story of creation, like the thought process behind such ingeniousness. But for a moment you and I could make it our own by having our own stories woven through those delicate strokes of hues and fervor.

Content by: Rtr. Dewmini Vithanage

Edited by: Rtr. Binuri Weerasinghe

Designed by: Rtr. Binuri Weerasinghe