The Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza in Madrid, Spain, is hosting between 12 June - 16 September 2007 an impressive exhibition dedicated to the last landscapes painted by Vincent van Gogh, at a time when his mental ilness was growing stronger by the day.
It was in May 1890 when van Gogh retreated to a small village near Paris, called Auvers-Sur-Oise, in search of the tranquility and peace that he needed so much. After a rough time, he needed a place to rediscover himself as an artist, hoping to escape his own demons and produce those perfect works that he wanted. After the stay at the mental asylum at Saint-Remy, it seemed the best idea for the tormented artist. Yet, it would be his swan-song, as just two months later, on 27 July, van Gogh shot himself and died on the 29th of July, after a painfull agony.
The period of time that van Gogh spent in Auvers proved to be both brief and productive, more than ever before. Working in a quick and dedicated manner, he painted more than 70 paintings and produced over 30 drawings, in just a little over two months. It was like he was racing against a cruel fate, a race that he would eventually lose.
The works selected for the exhibition at the Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza in Madrid are from this dramatic moment in the artist's short but brilliant career, and offer art-lovers a chance of discovering the richness and boldness of colours used by Van Gogh in his works.
Photo : museothyssen.org
June 2007
