Van Gogh Poets and Lovers Exhibition at the National Gallery: Seeing the works from a musical angle

Paul Burrell, former head of music at Herts and Essex High School, trained in music and composition with William Mathias at the former University College of North Wales (now Bangor University) and had a Clothmakers’ Company Fellowship at New Hall College (now Murray Edwards College) in Cambridge, studying women’s contemporary art

The ‘once-in-a-century’ Van Gogh Poets and Lovers Exhibition at the National Gallery presents us with a real symphony made up of 61 works of art.

Many paintings have come on loan from across the world and some have been hung in groupings as Van Gogh originally intended.

As a trained musician with a passionate interest in composition, I see so many things about Vincent Van Gogh’s work that are shared by both music and art. These include the elements of form, harmony and texture but also a range of other concepts such as rhythm, line, colour, unity, tone and balance.

Of course, there are many ways to approach art and we all see things differently. It can be good to stand at a safe distance and admire paintings for pleasure, but I want to give a personal response as to how I see his work from a musical angle.

All of the paintings and drawings in this exhibition are from 1888 to 1890, from his time in Arles in southern France to his premature death at the age of 37 in Auvers in northern France in 1890.

The first thing we must do is consider the notion that the art of Van Gogh’s later years is the work of a madman whose eyesight was faulty.

It is true that he suffered from severe depression and a sense of ‘lostness’. Alongside issues residing in his personality, there were so many things in his life that did not work out as he wished, including aborted relationships and his failed desire to set up a form of artists’ commune in Arles.

Yes, he did have fits of madness, attempted suicide on at least one occasion and was admitted to the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, but I am also convinced that his approach to art was deliberate, creative and intelligent.

The Garden of The Asylum at St. Rémy (1889)

As well as the lovely compositional form of this work, with the contrast of the freedom of the grass and trees alongside the steady structure of the yellow buildings, we are just dazzled by the beauty of the light on the blossom. Our eyes are led from the lower right along the path and then to look up with wonder at the carnival of colours set against the azure blue of the sky.

Having visited the Camargue and Arles a few years ago, I can vouch for the fact that the light seems different there and the colours appear much more vivid. This is in no small way due to the effects of the Mistral, the wind that blows down the Rhône Valley, clearing particles of dust from the air. One similar place in the UK where I have seen colours with such clarity is St Ives in Cornwall, a haunt of artists for years.

Field With Poppies (1889)

This is a fine example of Post Impressionism (leaving behind the Impressionists’ natural light and colour and aiming for a more abstract interpretation).

The design of this painting is wonderful. With the balance of the two buildings on the right and the left, our eyes are led through the fields towards the skyline. In a former Romantic era, we might be looking for a significant central subject, but here the whole natural scene is our focus.

True, we do have the stand-out aspect of the poppies, but perhaps the real focus is on the texture of everything around; the subtle hues of the fields, the varied angles of the brushstrokes to enhance the contrast of textures as well as the traditional use of lighter greens as we move towards the horizon.

This all reminds me of the intensive motivic development seen in the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony or the last movement of Mahler’s 9th Symphony.

Starry Night Over The Rhône (1888)

This is one of many ‘Starry Nights’ he painted. Here is a real thematic development.

The blues harmonise wonderfully with the contrasting yellows. The togetherness of the lovers in the foreground is echoed by the boats moored behind them.

The stars sing and their voices are amplified to us through reflections in the river. Even the harbour lights have their own line of melody, and the nearby riverbank also absorbs the harmony of blue and yellow.

Olive Orchard (1889)

Almost every time you see a great work of art, something new seems to stand out.

Although this painting of an olive grove might be relatively static in the hands of some artists, here we have a virtual torrent of activity.

The olive trees seem to be holding on for dear life against the mighty rhythmic flow of this ‘river ground’. The turbulent and relentless swirls of blue, white and green in the water are echoed in the trembling branches and leaves of the olives, and there is virtually no difference between what one might consider the earth and the sky.

Olive Orchard – detail (1889)

Here we see detail of brushstrokes which have a driving rhythm that makes even the River Niagara seem tame. Only the brilliant and contrasting poppies have any semblance of being static, but even they seem suspended in mid-air, hanging on and surviving!

Given our proximity to London, this is an exhibition not to be missed.

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers, 14 September 2024 to 19 January 2025, The National Gallery, Rooms 1-8. Admission charge (members go free). Booking is strongly recommended. Visit https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/van-gogh-poets-and-lovers.

10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT VINCENT VAN GOGH

1.He was born on 30 March 1853, a year to the day after his mother had delivered a stillborn baby, also called Vincent Willem van Gogh.

2.He came to London and fell in love with Ursula Loyer, his landlady’s daughter. She refused him in 1874.

3.In 1876 he worked as an unpaid assistant teacher for three months at a school in Ramsgate.

4.He walked 100 miles (over several days) from Ramsgate to Welwyn to see his younger sister Anna.

5.He preached his first sermon at Isleworth Methodist Church in Middlesex.

6.In 1881 he fell madly in love with his cousin Lee Vos-Stricker. She rejected his advances.

7.He entered training for church ministry, including at a school for evangelists in Brussels.

8.He was heavily influenced by Japanese art, including its colours, use of outlining and harmonious design.

9.He painted nearly 900 works in just 10 years.

10.In his last few years, he often painted over previous works to save money on new canvasses.

Paul Burrell has lived in Bishop’s Stortford since 1983. He was head of music at Herts and Essex High School and subsequently at Presdales in Ware. He is a member of Great Hadham Country Club.