Imagery Analysis on The Wheatfield

01 April 2020

The Wheatfield

The Wheatfield by Vincent Van Gogh was portrayed in the daytime but with the art of juxtaposition between the intense dark blue sky and the yellow, nature turns out to be heavy. It was painted by thick brushstrokes along with tension. An open-ended path separated the field into 2 parts but it has 3 directions. This is as if the wheatfield is infinitely large. Right above the wheat, a school of crows is on their boarding up to the sky, implying a signal of something suddenly to occur on the ground. The black crows were trying to escape from some danger, highlighting a sense of fear. A piece of slight yellow in the middle of the sky carries similarity to the sun which spreads out lightness and hotness. Only the brown walking root conveys the groundedness, other objects somehow move in lost directions.

I interpreted this picture before looking at some professional description. Surprisingly, my description almost captures the meaning of what it is about. I am not sure whether I could feel the picture or its message is too obvious to be recognized. But it is said that many people find this painting a sense of imminent boom and foreboding. The Wheatfield was painted a few days before he died. The author barely has anything to cling to life any longer. In the book “Ever Yours: The Essential Letters”, collecting heartfelt letters of Van Gogh, Van Gogh said “They are immense stretches of wheatfields under turbulent skies, and I made a point of trying to express sadness, extreme loneliness. You will see this soon, I hope – for I hope to bring them to you in Paris as soon as possible since I’d almost believe that these canvases will tell you what I can’t say in words, what I consider healthy and fortifying about the countryside.”

Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890) is an artist from France. All of his masterpieces of art were not recognized until he died. He had a complex inner life that art was the only way for him to express his thoughts and escape from the psychological struggles. He left behind a number of letters between him and his brother, and his best friend Theo Van Gogh. His letters gave us insights into his unwavering artistic mission, at the same time, in response to a world of isolation. He has one brother who he loves the most and also loves him the most. He barely could make ends meet through his painting passion as almost no one paid attention to his performance. Vangoph has an innate love for art, literature, and nature and he does not accept to paint if he doesn’t look at nature by his own eyes. His intention to paint was never gone, it lived as the fire that kept him free of mind. In the meantime, his brother always stood by his side and supported him financially for years until a day Vangogh felt ashamed of himself. He felt he was a guilty and useless man for relying upon his brother. He believed he was not capable of doing anything. Even in relationships, he was too unfortunate to enjoy a happy life after a quite number of failures turned down by women. His life thus increased the level of emptiness and heartbreaking. He continued putting his entire heart into his images which are quite complicated for others to interpret at that time. He ended his life by committing suicide in the middle of a wide field on July 27, 1890 after all sufferings.

Van Gogh’s paintings are characterized by Post-Impressionism ideology. Post-impressionism is one of the pioneers that prioritize artistic depiction and expression. This “ism” doesn’t primarily consider stylish appearance but put focus into conceptual beauty in which Van Gogh played a spearheading role to light up the meaning of new forms, proven by his legendary volumes of artworks.

Reference:

Vincent Van Gogh. (2014). Ever Yours: The Essential Letters. Yale University Press, Abridged edition.

Sparknotes. https://www.sparknotes.com/biography/vangogh/context/