Van Gogh House London

Van Gogh House is excited to welcome artist Yingmei Duan as a digital artist in residence with Van Gogh House. Newcastle University (NU) is leading on a new networking project with national and international heritage partners National Trust, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), and the Artist’s Studio Museum Network to research and understand the international breadth of curatorial activity regarding commissioning contemporary art for heritage sites and archives. As part of the NU research, four artists have been commissioned to engage virtually with the rich history of three specific heritage places in England. Responding to Van Gogh House is artist Yingmei Duan.

 

 

Yingmei Duan is participating in a 100 day online artist residency at Van Gogh House. Over the next 100 days, Duan will document her residency on this page through weekly updates.

Vincent in Paris

During these two days, I read about his time in Paris again,
Paris was a major centre for art. In 1886, Vincent moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo.
Soon after arriving, he met many Impressionist artists and their styles, such as Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Camille Pissarro, and Georges Seurat. He found that all their works had air in them.
Influenced by these artists, he started using bright colours and lighter brushstrokes, changing from the darker tones he had used before.
It was very interesting to read Theo and Vincent’s conversations. Vincent once told Theo that he wished he had introduced him to these artists earlier, feeling he had wasted six years on his artwork. But Theo emphasised that his artwork was perfect, unique, and Impressionistic.

As Vincent tried to paint like these artists, different styles began to appear in his work. Theo encouraged Vincent to find his own style and to find himself again. It is very interesting to know that Theo, with his sharp eye for art, understood Vincent’s artworks so well. Van Gogh was fortunate to have such a brother.
In Paris, Vincent attended art salons and exhibitions, which allowed artists to show their work and share ideas. He built strong connections with some important artists, including Pissarro, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Bernard, and they exchanged techniques and ideas.
While in Paris, van Gogh was very active, and he almost lost himself as an artist at the end of his time there. He came close to realising a form of utopian communal living among artists through cooperation and mutual support. This is a very interesting idea to me.

Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers- Space 3

You have already experienced copying his sketches(first space) and drawing live models (second space); as part of the large-scale performance art installation “Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers”, a dedicated third space is set up for people to discuss, reflect on Van Gogh, and gain more experience with his drawings.

In this space, some different stations are offering various activities:

—Many chairs form a circle, where you can sit down and talk about Van Gogh’s sketches, life, letters and so on

—Draw sunflowers on the big glass (6 Meter X 4 Meter) window.

—Make improvisational music with different instruments to express your feelings about one of his drawings or, in general, feelings about his life.

—Write a letter to Van Gogh on A4 paper, including your feelings, your excitement, your enjoyment, and your understanding of his drawings and do on.

—-Write your suggestions for Van Gogh from your inner thoughts.

—There is a very long timeline from the beginning until the end of his career as an artist; please choose one of the years to remember about his life and what Van Gogh made during that year with his drawings.

—You can take one of his drawing copies, please, at home to go on your research or copy it again and again

Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers- Space 2

Here, there is a large performance installation show inspired by Van Gogh’s art drawings. The space is open daily, and people can enter and draw at any time.

It shows different labours and aims to capture the emotions and daily life of various ordinary people’s works.

The most important thing is to invite people to observe and draw their feelings about the different scenes to gain an understanding of Van Gogh’s sketches.

Now we are in the second, larger space. It feels three times bigger than the first space. Natural light pours in from roof windows, making the area very bright and dairy.

The space looks very busy. There are many people here, drawing models on paper with easels. Altogether, there are ten different models in various situations. They are all arranged in different locations within this large space, and each group is drawing a different model. If people go around, they can see examples:

—A woman sewing, sitting on a chair working with old clothes.

—A sower planting seeds in the yellow field.

—An old man with his head in his hands – he knocks his head constantly, looking as if he did something that made him sad.

—A woman digging, a strong woman working with tools in the field.

All the models look like they are from the 19th century in the Netherlands, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s time. Everyone is welcome to participate in making drawings, like local communities, school children, cultural groups, and so on. After finishing their drawings, participants can display them together in a designated area, like an art show, and then engage in discussions about their drawings.

Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers- Space 1
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, This space belongs to the large-scale performance art installation show “Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers”.

There are three different spaces in total.

Here, one can experience Vincent Van Gogh’s different drawings. People can make copies of some of his drawings to experience Van Gogh’s drawings and sketches of all kinds of labour.

On one shelf, you can see his artwork catalogues,
This space is round and very quiet, and there is very good natural light from the high roof windows. One can see a very big round table (diameter 10), and participants can sit outside or inside to make drawing copies.

There are two different walls, one for drawings on the walls for participants to reference and copy, and another for people can hang their drawings, which they copied on the wall. On the corner, this space is for children to play with Van Gogh’s drawings.

And each day, 13:00 and 16:00 o‘clock, we will take one hour for exchange.

Drawings like “The Sower”(1882), “Old Man with His Head in His Hands” (1882), The Seamstress (1882), “The Weaver” (1884), “Woman Sewing”(1881), “Woman Digging” (1881) and so on different working-class people, around 10 different sketches.

For each drawing, there is some explanation about the drawing, background, purpose, emotional impact, feeling, composition, style, materials, form, date, style, and technique, as well as characteristics on paper and a monitor.

You can take one Sketch of Van Gogh for copying around a round table on the Drawing Board, and there are different drawing materials, including pencils, all kinds of paper, erasers, Charcoal, ink, pens, drawing boards, and so on. They are all spread on the table everywhere.

We also have four assistants who can provide further information when people need it.

We go on to next space.

A letter for Van Gogh

Dear Vincent,
I am still focusing on your drawings, especially from your time in The Hague.

Your series, including “Sower,” “Carpenter,” “Sien,” you features the same individuals from different angles. I can see you put a lot of thought into how to make each drawing.

I really appreciate your efforts and enjoy repeatedly reading your drawings in silence. The different techniques you use—pencil, charcoal, and colour—are very interesting.

Though they may not be perfect, the drawings are honest. Your use of pencil for strong outlines and details, sometimes combined with charcoal for dark and light areas, creates different effects. Most of the backgrounds in your drawings are simple, so I can keep the focus on the figures.

I also admire your group of people’s drawings, such as “Miners” (1880). The varied movements of the figures give the drawing a poetic and relaxing feeling.

In “Miners Women Carrying Sacks (The Bearers of the Burden, 1881),” the dense lines for this drawing, with sacks on their backs, give me a heavy and sad feeling.
“Sand Diggers” (1882) presents a lively scene with many figures engaged in their work, people close and far, all different, which is very interesting to me.

In “Torn-Up Street with Diggers” (1882) , there are many different types of people in this drawing, and it has a very lively atmosphere.
“Potato Grubbers, Four Figures” (1883), though done quickly, is still quite interesting for me.

Your work has inspired me to go outside and draw or paint again. I am planning to do so soon and am also interested in copying some of your drawings to learn more about your techniques. Also, tomorrow, I would like to create some new artwork related to your drawings.

Thanks, Vincent!

Warm regards,
yingmei

A letter to Van Gogh -3

dear Vincent,

Your drawing shows human instinct, their struggle, humanity, and hard lives. They hold a special place in your heart and your art, too. I am always very touched that you are deeply immersed in your artwork.

I quite like your drawings about Sien in the Hague. It is a pity that you both did not stay together at the end.

After Sien had the new baby, your relationship changed much more. You wanted Sien to continue to model for you, but over time, she grew tired of it. With the more responsibilities of taking care of children, cleaning, washing, and cooking, she became too much of a burden. Actually, your relationship has become more like that of a family after you have lived together. Each needs to give their time to the other. And if the problem comes, you both need to find a way to get through it, but you both did not do well!

Family work is a very big part of life. Housework, looking after children, cooking, washing, and even toilet cleaning are all important, just like doing art. If one thing is not arranged well, then there will be a problem one by one.

I have always been on my way to my art. Even each time I spent less time outside, I found problems, too. I believe that human beings gain something, but they also lose something.

I really learned more about family arrangements after 2020, the time of COVID-19. I have a significant interest in family arrangements now. For me, doing art in another country or in my living area is the same. It is important to keep going.

So, if you stay with Sien for more years, I believe you would get more involved in the family because the cute, tiny baby Anton loves you so much, and you also love him and want to give him a good life.

It is your first love, and art took your heart away, so you separated at the end.

Tomorrow going on

A letter to Van Gogh -2

 

My husband, Jürgen, likes reading and writing. He is a very thick dictionary, and I have admired him since we met. He has also written more than 20 books.

I read each day, too. Although our home has more than 30 shelves, I need to read more and want to read more books in the future.

You always speak as you think, very directly! On this side, we are very similar, and my mom is also the same character. As an artist, I also know that honesty is very important.

You draw all kinds of ordinary people, like sewing, workers, and peasants. I like the people you drew and painted. I also agree with your perspective that they are much more interesting to draw.

For more than twenty years, I have travelled around the world, meeting many people. I have been to South Africa, and it is still like a dream in my life to have experienced so many beautiful women, children, and traditional simple village dancing from locals in the countryside.

I just found out you had plenty of drawings, and I have read your drawings almost every day for more than one month. I like your drawings more than many of your paintings; your drawings all have hearts, and your drawings all can speak. Sometimes, I see your drawings; I also feel that they come out of your drawings to talk to me.

I miss that time, as I had just begun to learn art in Beijing. I also did a lot of drawings, but at that time, I still did not really know how to express my heart in most of them, and I just tried to make them similar when I drew.

Your drawings are not perfect, but I like imperfection; this imperfection belongs also to my character. I have done 25 years of performances, but I still cannot be perfect enough to do most of them. Each of my performances has shortcomings.

Jürgen also draws almost every day, and he is very good at it. He is different from you, but I also like his drawings. I recently collected more than 10,000 A4 drawings from his childhood until the year 2000, and I am still collecting them.

a letter to Van Gogh-1

 

I want to write Van Gogh letters, and this is a performance project, I can do 6 months.

Dear Vincent,
Today, I feel compelled to write you a letter. I hope to write more letters to you in the future.

I started getting to know you better a month ago. Since then, I’ve been busy writing a diary entry about you each day. Every day, I spend a few hours reading and learning about your life and artwork through books or online. I am very thankful to Newcastle University and the Van Gogh House in London for enabling me to research you and your artwork.

I wake up every day before 7 o’clock. After getting up, I start reading about you, so each day begins with you and your art. Sometimes, when I’m on the way, I also make time to listen to you.

After gathering information in the afternoon or evening, I start writing something related to you. At the beginning of this performance project, I just made writing from what I had read. However, as time passed, I realised the importance of giving each diary a title. When I’m particularly interested in specific topics, I go deeper into this topic and continue in the following days for my diary.

Your passion, emotions, and curiosity…touch me deeply, and your diligence, boundless creativity, and unwavering determination move me a lot!

I have read all your letters quickly, but I want to read more slowly again because I am very interested in each moment of your colour theory, your art, and your life. Irving Stone wrote a Roman about you and your art. I like this book, and I have finished all the reading, but I am also going through the book slowly for the second time because I want to keep many exciting moments in my mind.

—I like that you love literature.
I tried to get to know your favourite writers more online: Charles Dickens, Émile Zola, and some more. But I still need time to get to know them better. Through them, I want to understand you, your life, and your art more and more.

Sien -2

 

I go on to read Van Gogh’s drawings and colour works from the Hague, and I was also very touched by the many different drawings and colours.

Vincent loved painting ordinary people and made many drawings of Sien.
Life was tough for Sien, a single mother with children. Vincent felt a deep empathy for her work as a seamstress and sometimes as a prostitute.

Her face, body, personality, and emotions greatly inspired his drawing, and her imperfections moved him deeply.

Vincent’s unique character, his love for literature, and more all combined to inspire him to create a realistic depiction of Sien—her sadness, longing, and tiredness. By portraying Sien, Vincent saw the injustices of the world reflected in her body. He used imperfection lines to draw her posture, clothing, and work, inspiring us with his unique perspective.

I want to create an exhibition focusing on Vincent, Sien, and their children’s relationship. Each room will showcase one of my paintings, capturing different moments of their lives. Each painting will be accompanied by music that fits its atmosphere.

At the end of the exhibition, I’d like to set up an interactive space where people can collaborate with me as performers. We’ll analyse Sien’s character and work together to portray people we’ve encountered in life through different paintings, fostering a sense of community and shared creativity.

Hague time with Sien – 1

 

After reading some of Vincent van Gogh’s stories, I don’t feel that he was always unlucky with women.

In fact, he had some positive relationships. In the end, they all left, but each time something happened, it was partly his own doing, not just the fault of others.

Vincent van Gogh had relationships with several women in his life. I’ve written a bit about his time in London and his infatuation with Ursula. After that, he fell in love with Kee Vos-Stricker. However, I am particularly interested in his relationship with Sien Hoornik when he was in The Hague. Vincent met Sien in 1882 after his time with Kee.

Vincent lived in The Hague from 1882 to 1883, where his early teacher was the well-known artist Anton Mauve. Mauve encouraged him not only to draw but also to create colour paintings. During his time there, Vincent experimented with many different techniques and materials. He used chalk, ink, pencil, charcoal, watercolour, oil, lithography, canvas, paper, crayons, and panels to make his drawings and colour artworks. He produced numerous drawings, watercolours, and paintings, focusing on everyday life and labourers.

Sien was a seamstress and a single mother living in poverty, and she was struggling to support herself, her young daughter, and her mother. She was also a prostitute.

I have reviewed most of Vincent’s artworks from his time in The Hague, and I am very surprised by how many works he created, especially those featuring Sien and her children as models. After meeting Sien, Vincent tried to change her life situation. They soon lived together, even though Theo and his family did not like this relationship.

Sien and her children helped him significantly as models for his art. Vincent created many drawings of them, such as “Woman Sewing,” “Seated Nude,” and “The Cradle.” Vincent had deep empathy for people in difficult situations, and Sien was a Model for him and inspired him a lot. Their relationship, though brief, deeply influenced Van Gogh’s artistic development, particularly in his portrayal of human figures and emotional depth.

Books

 

I believe Vincent’s parents read many books to him during his childhood. His unique personality leads him to immerse himself in his own world, and one of his favourite activities is reading.

He enjoys novels by Charles Dickens, Émile Zola, Leo Tolstoy, and others. Through reading, he learns about poverty, injustice, tragedy, and the human condition in society. These topics touch his soul and evoke his empathy, inspiring his creativity.

Because of language barriers, I have liked being alone since childhood. I enjoy being alone and never get bored. In the quiet world, I can speak with myself, imagine, dream, fantasy, observe, and listen to the surrounding world. Everything I perceive from my surroundings helps my brain develop, and I enjoy it very much.

I love drawing because it feels like my way of speaking. My character is also characterised by empathy and a desire to help others.

People who have grown up with disabilities or challenges from a very young age face many difficulties, pain, and melancholy. They spend a lot of time by themselves during the process of growth. Facing physical or psychological barriers often requires a lot of understanding from others, along with their support and assistance. Therefore, they can more easily empathy with others’ difficulties or sadness. Knowing the importance of support from others, they also strive to help others when people also need help.

Most of Vincent’s figure paintings and drawings feature ordinary people, like peasants and rural workers. The people he encountered in books profoundly influenced him, and he expressed his emotions through his art after encountering them in life. For Vincent, these people touched his heart and inspired his work.

My new school

 

I’ve read about Van Gogh and Sien’s relationship these days. But it’s best to stick with the topic of boarding school before moving on to other things.

Yesterday, I started sketches about Van Gogh’s time at boarding school. Today, I want to talk about my first experience leaving home to learn in another city, at AN DA city, when I was 16 years old.

On my first day at school, I didn’t want to eat in the canteen because I did not like the food there. Certain foods, like pork fat, steamed cornbread, or Napa cabbage, I have not eaten since birth. But after three days, I got really hungry and started eating.

During breaks on the playground, I always heard the song “The Small River in My Hometown” playing in the background, I remembered this very well.

In my new class, more than half of the students come from poor families in rural areas. They were very diligent and often slept only 4 hours per night. They lived on about 20 RMB (2 pounds) per month. Many of them suffer from lung problems due to poor living conditions and a lack of nutritious food. During that time, I also developed a lung problem.

It was my first time seeing so much poverty in China, so whenever my parents brought me something nice, I shared it with some other students.

I remember the sleeping conditions clearly. There were about 30 students in a not-so-big room, maybe 50 m². The room had only one small window and a small heater for winter. We had bunk beds and beds close together. My bed was right next to the small window and heater. It was very cold in winter, and my feet always felt freezing. As a result, for the next two years, I had significant issues with my feet during the summer.

In the 1980s in China, rural students had one chance to change their lives: by going to university. They were determined to have a better future and not stay in their villages forever. I remember a young, very beautiful student who tragically took her own life when she found out she couldn’t continue studying. If she had lived, she might have realised how stupid it was to leave the world this way so early…

I could make many different sketches related to my time there, too.

Boarding School

 

I want to create sketches first and then develop my artwork further using different art media. Today, I’m focusing on developing sketches related to Vincent’s time at boarding school.

 

—One sketch: Children are playing different games on the playground. Some boys are playing football on the grass, running to catch the ball. Others are playing in the sandbox or skipping rope. The atmosphere is cheerful and lively.

 

He watches them from a distance, sitting alone on the ground. He seems out of place in this setting, and beside him lies an unfinished drawing that he has been drawing on. His eyes occasionally drift back to the sketch, and he looks, thinking something deeply.

 

-—-second sketch: In the classroom, rows of plain wooden desks and chairs are neatly arranged. The walls are adorned with children’s drawings and simple handicrafts. Over twenty boys are focused on their lessons, and the teacher is teaching a math lesson from the blackboard.

 

In one drawing, Vincent can be seen with his red hair. His facial expression reflects a mixture of enjoyment and excitement. Sitting slightly lower than the other children, his thoughts are away from the lesson, and he is secretly sketching the teacher and some of the boys. He looks into their faces, filled with concentration.

Another sketch with a classroom scene，it shows all the children looking back at Vincent while the teacher has an angry expression on him. Vincent appears very sad and shocked. His drawing falls on the floor.

The large space has a dim and quiet atmosphere, with many beds arranged in order on both sides, left and right. In the drawing, there are around 20 simple beds. The ceiling is very high, and moonlight streams in through the small windows.

In the center of my sketch is Vincent, lying under a grey blanket with his eyes open, surrounded by books. His facial expression shows he is deep in thought, revealing a heaviness inside. Around him, all the other children are already deeply asleep in their beds.

Farewell in the Railway station

—There is a sketch drawing. Vincent and his parents are at the railway station in the early morning to say goodbye, as he is going to Barding School. The atmosphere looks like autumn.

Young Vincent is dressed in a simple black suit. His face looks mixed with sadness, happiness, and uncertainty. A suitcase is beside him.

His parents stand in front of him. Mom is wearing a long dress with a shawl, and she has worried feelings in her eyes; one hand gently holds his arm. His papa is dressed in a dark suit with a top hat. His expression is emotional, too, and his facial expression encourages Vincent.

A steam locomotive smokes nearby, and a large clock is above it. The station’s arched windows and very high ceiling can be seen.

—I remember when I was 16 years old, last year I went to another school in a different city for high school. I clearly remembered the excitement of being away from my parents with a smile on my face. I always admired some of my classmates who lived at school. I often looked through windows, admiring those who had that opportunity. However, I couldn’t experience it myself because my home was only 5 minutes away. it had always been a childhood dream of mine to live away from home.

Another sketch depicts me in soft sunlight outside under a blue sky. I’m dressed in a skirt adorned with small flowers. One leg stands on the train station platform, and the other rests on the train door. With a curious, naive, and joyful expression, I look back at your parents without any sadness.

My parents’ eyes look very, very worried, and they are Dressed in typical 1980s clothing. My father is wearing a jacket and trousers, and my mother is wearing a simple dress.

There is an old-fashioned train; one can see a bench around my parents, and a ticket window can be seen behind them a bit distance.

Me and my siblings and Vincent and his siblings-1

 

Before the 1980s, each family in China had many children. I have three siblings, and our ages are also close: my young sister, my older sister, and my older brother.

 

I was born in 1969, and at that time, each family looked very simple, but we grew up with a lot of happiness. We lived a very basic life, and my siblings and I all lived together in one room in the flat.

 

I want to make some realistic drawings or paintings related to my childhood with my siblings and also Vincent’s childhood with his siblings.

 

1. My childhood: In the drawing, my siblings and I play in the countryside landscape. One can see a very small river, in which small fish move around in the clean water. Some farmers are far away, growing rice plants and sunflowers in the field.

 

Vincent family: In the drawing, it is sunny, and there are very beautiful high flower fields in the big landscape. One can see a small path, and Vincent and his siblings are very happy running in the landscape with Mom; far away, one sees a church.

 

2. My childhood: In the drawing, cooked meat, potatoes, and Chinese cabbage are on a small table on the floor. My siblings and I sit on small benches around the table. We all eat with Chinese chopsticks and a small bowl of rice in our hands. Besides us, there are big brick beds with fire under them, and on the bed, there are many quilts.

 

Vincent’s parents and children are around the big table. On the table, there is cheese, Sausage, bread, forks and knives, and a vase with sunflowers. From the small window, one can see that it is evening food. They are with closed eyes and pray before they have food. Besides them, one can see a fireplace with fire.

 

3. My childhood in the garden:

In the drawing, you can see a small garden in front of a simple house where baby ducks, two geese, and numerous chickens roam freely. They wander all around the garden as we play our favourite game, Feiji ge.

 

In the drawing, the garden in Vincent’s family is full of different flowers: roses, tulips, and one big apple tree. Children play hiding games in the garden.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child -4

 

Like earlier Chinese families, the Vincent family had many children. I believe in such a big family, and the children would fight, help, and encourage each other and some each other would  have an eng connection too.

 

Vincent had many siblings:

• Anna Cornelia van Gogh (1855-1930)
• Theodorus (Theo) van Gogh (1857-1891)
• Elisabeth Huberta (Lies) van Gogh (1859-1936)
• Willemina Jacoba (Wil) van Gogh (1862-1941)
• Cornelis Vincent (Cor) van Gogh (1867-1900)

 

Vincent’s mother was Anna Cornelia Carbentus, and his older sister was named Anna Cornelia Van Gogh. They shared the same first name. Vincent’s brother Theo’s full name was Theodorus Van Gogh, which was also the same as their father’s name.

 

Why did they have such similar names? Perhaps the parents wanted to maintain a balance in Vincent’s psychological state, hoping he would not dwell on the same name as his deceased brother.

 

There was another person in Vincent’s family who had psychological problems like Vincent—his younger sister Willemina. She was the closest to Vincent, and she was admitted to a psychiatric institute in Veldwijk and died there later.

 

Vincent’s youngest brother, Cornelis Vincent (Cor) van Gogh, also died in South Africa at a very young age.

 

“Cor was a volunteer in the Anglo-Boer War and was listed as having been killed in action, though some reports say that he committed suicide in 1900.”

 

From what I have read so far, there is a possibility that mental health issues may have been inherited within the Van Gogh family.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child -3

 

In childhood, relatives or friends may sometimes have taken care of him when his mom was busy with other things. This could also influence Vincent’s character.

 

In the 19th century, boys were generally considered more important than girls in the family structure in the Netherlands. This idea came from old traditions, where people thought it was important for men to inherit property and keep the family name going. Boys usually got more education and were trained to be leaders. Girls often got little education and were prepared for home duties and being mothers.

 

After Theo was born, the two boys shared their parents’ love. Maybe he felt more pressure.

 

Van Gogh is more introverted, and Theo is more extroverted. Theo is calm and easily gets along well with others. Generous Theo could take care of Vincent and help him from a very young age. Vincent also gave good feedback to him.

 

When Vincent was 11 years old, his parents sent him to boarding school in Zevenbergen in 1864.

He was quite young to live alone. At that time, children at boarding schools slept in large rooms with many beds. They had to follow strict rules, such as staying quiet and in bed after lights out…Boarding schools had strict schedules and discipline. Also, there were administrators responsible for this work.

 

Vincent needed a lot of space alone. It could have been very difficult for him to get used to sleeping with so many boys in one space, and he did not have his own space. This atmosphere disturbed his inner world, which affected his lowness, thinking, and imagining. Maybe he also had uncomfortable experiences with the administrators, some boys, or teachers at the time.

 

In 1866, he started at a boarding school in Tilburg. He was entering adolescence, a time when young people experience many emotional ups and downs. During this period, Vincent also felt isolated, lonely, and unhappy. Why? We do not know. Maybe he was falling in love, or he found out that he was not as handsome as some boys, or he also began to think of human sexuality…

 

All can influence his character.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child -2

My husband told me that each day, when I open my eyes, I already begin to ask questions since we have known each other for more than twenty years.

I really love my topic, which focuses on a Van Gogh project, and I enjoy asking questions, researching, analysing, and delving into a person’s life and art. Studying human beings has always been my favourite. I love long-term projects as I can go deep inside.

I am very excited to learn more about Vincent’s life each day. With time, I am discovering more about how to approach and develop this project.

From what I have read so far, it’s clear that Van Gogh’s parents loved and supported him with their best. They played a crucial role in his life, with a good education and career aspirations from an early age. They encouraged him and tried to find the best path for his life, even though they did not all agree with his decision or had occasional struggles or conflicts among them.

The same name as his dead brother was already very strange for him, maybe causing people in the village to talk about it. Van Gogh is introverted and sensitive, and he has a complex inner world. His mom went to the grave of his brother to pray, and Mourning for young Van Gogh would be very confused and not understand his dead brother or mourning for him. This problem may have haunted him throughout his childhood.

His father, a pastor, was always busy with religious duties, interacting with churchgoers, and assisting those in need. Van Gogh‘s lack of interaction with his father affected his self-confidence and made him feel unsafe.

How Van Gogh’s mom is portrayed, as well as the relationship between Anna and her husband at home, can also influence Van Gogh’s upgrading.

After his elderly sister was born, as he was two years old, the parents shared love for her…

When he was in primary school, maybe the teacher or the children around him also influenced his character, and he liked very much to be alone. How did they react to him? And what kind of special experience did Van Gogh experience in primary school? All these things can shape his character with time.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child – 1

 

I am very interested in how Vincent van Gogh’s character was formed.

 

1. There is a possibility that mental health issues may have been inherited within the Van Gogh family. However, this was not revealed during his childhood.

 

2. Van Gogh’s mother, Anna, lost her stillborn first child. Because of her dead son, she needed actual support from healthcare providers and mental health professionals to help her cope. However, in the 19th century, mental health treatment mainly took place in asylums or psychiatric hospitals, which were often overcrowded and provided little effective treatment. Healthcare and mental health care lacked scientific understanding, leading to difficult conditions for treating both physical and mental illnesses.

 

3. His mom became pregnant with Van Gogh two months later. Van Gogh was born just one year after his dead brother. So, for pregnant women, Anna was experiencing distress, sadness, and guilt. Many factors can impact maternal emotions on the developing baby. Therefore, before Van Gogh’s birth, he formed his character in his mother’s womb. After he was born, it became apparent that he had a unique personality that tended toward being solitary or unsociable, possibly autism. Anna named him after his deceased brother, and she frequently visited his grave. All these factors may also influence young Van Gogh’s character.

 

4. He was the only child for two years before his elderly sister born. This period may also profoundly shape his character; being alone as a baby. Van Gogh was the family’s greatest wish; they poured all their love into him and provided him with everything they had. However, they also imposed strict discipline on him, which may have added burdens to his upbringing.

Parents and Vincent -3

 

In young Vincent’s bedroom, we see a bed with a quilt, pillow, and some toys. Some regal books are mounted on the wall, and there was a prominent cross. There is a painting on the wall that looks like a young boy drawing after a painter; the boy looks like Vincent. Vincent himself is focused on reading under the soft glow of an oil lamp, and around this book, there is a cute, small, lovely lamb recently bought from the market on the table. Half-open windows reveal a Dutch landscape. This drawing has a quiet and somewhat melancholic atmosphere.

Another drawing: The nighttime sky is visible through open windows, and young Vincent sits in a corner. His gaze is fixed upon the stars above, and he is deep thinking. Surrounding him are pieces of literature, religious god books, and some of his drawings. The small lamb is sleeping gently in his arms.

He is now outside at night; the sky is filled with stars, and the moon shines brightly. Along the path, his father’s church stands prominently, where he serves as a minister. On the other side, a vast yellow farm field stretches under cover of darkness, with his looming shadow cast behind him. This drawing also has a melancholic feeling.

 

In the vast farm landscape, farmers are working in the field during the busy harvest season. One sees a windmill and also some cows and lambs. Young Vincent observes the beautiful landscape and sits under a tree, drawing the rural field, windmill, and his parents. They appear in his drawing around the windmill.

Tomorrow going on

Parents and young Vincent -2

As you already know from yesterday’s writing, I make different drawings, but each one has the same elements, which will appear in the next drawing.

There is a warm, peaceful family situation. There is some modest furniture. Anna reads to young Vincent with the books that Vincent just made the drawing with. In young Vincent’s hands, there is also a small dog; he is playing at the same time. His Papa Theodorus sits at a table with some of his god’s books on it. He looks behind them in this direction and seems full of love to them but also worried.

The small dog appears in the beautiful garden. The garden looks well-kept, with different flowers and plants. A small watering can or digging tool can be seen, too. Two bees, especially bigger ones, appear in flowers, too. There are also some birds too. Mom is teaching Vincent to make a drawing; around Vincent, there are some drawings he just made with flowers, birds, plants, and bees.

The small dog follows young Vincent on a path in the countryside, and the bees fly around young Vincent; the especially bigger insects can also seen in the grass. Vincent looks very curious and excited. His parents, who are in the distance, can be seen. The surrounding atmosphere is wide green fields, tall trees, and a small river, far a small church can be seen among the farmhouses. Birds fly in the sky, and lambs and cows are joyfully looking at him, too.

In a small church, three people sit on a bench: Theodorus, Anna, and young Vincent. They dress very seriously. Vincent’s closed eyes reveal details of his face, and he is praying with his parents. A God book is beside him, and a basket is on the bench. The atmosphere is calm and nurturing.

Mom and Vincent in a Markt, and mom with the basket; a lot of different people appear in the market, and different animals can be seen, and Vincent is playing with them in crouching.

Tomorrow going on

Parents and young Vincent -1

 

there is a comfortable room decorated with family portraits, items like books and bookbinding tools from her dad’s work, and modest furniture from the 19th century. Anna is sitting with the opened windows looking outside, and she can see she is reading.

 

— In a poetic garden, Anna is reading on a swing. She is reading about a love story, and there is an image showing her wedding in a church. Her family house can be seen from the 19th Century, and there is a girl who is not clear to see sitting in front of windows looking in this direction.

 

Now, in a church, Van Gogh’s dad is married to his mom, Anna. She looks at the people. Some people are in the church for the wedding, and one pregnant woman is Anna herself.

 

In a carriage, her husband is taking a nap, and happy pregnant Anna gently touches her stomach with the unborn baby in her body. She looks at the blue sky, and she is happy imagining her future life. The carriage goes through a cemetery; one can see there is a funeral.

 

Now, one can see the tomb closer; Anna is sorrowful and praying for her dead child in the cemetery. Not far away, one can see a boy; he is exploring the cemetery and looks very curious but also has a strange feeling. On the path to the cemetery, one sees a woman with a boy hand in hand.

 

We can see the woman and the boy Van Gogh hand in hand on the cemetery path. He looks at her sorrowful face and has a lot of questions in his mind. He also has a sorry face. Very far in front, one sees a family house.

 

This boy, Vincent, is in a two-story brick and wood building. It’s a family house, and his mom is drawing with him about some items, like books. On the wall, there are photos of a deceased baby. The boy in the photos shares the same name as the boy in the photos. Looking into Vincent’s eyes, you can see that he has many questions in his mind.

 

Tomorrow going on

Parents and Vincent character

A newborn baby, Vincent’s older brother, the first child, accompanies Vincent’s mom Anna in daily life during her pregnancy. He should be the biggest present from god for the family. Anna definitely has a big enjoyment and wishes and a lot of imagination for the future life.

But after his birth, he dies; this destroys Anna emotionally and psychologically and makes the whole family depressed. She may look for the reason about his death, and guilty feeling. Also in a family with deep religious beliefs, she think it may a punishment for a person, or a test of her faith or behaviour.

regulary Mom visit his tomb will makes her more good feeling and also wish him in heaven good living.
Vincent’s mom grew up in a family that valued education and religion, and Vincent’s father, Theodorus, is a minister, and his occupation was respected. Being in such a family, his parents must be involved a lot in education, culture, and morality with their children. So Vincent and his siblings received a good education, learning to read, write, and study religion. I believe the parents also put a lot of wishes on Vincent and tried their best to give him a good education and opportunities like in boarding school. From the biography, I know Vincent always tried to do his best in his work and also want to come his parents’ wiessh or his wishes in true, but everything that he tried did not fit him except as an artist.
I want to create different artworks related to Vincent and their parents. In the next part, I will write more.

our childhood life experience

Vincent has the same name as his old dead brother. Vincent was given the same name. I sometimes believe ghosts around us, and I also believe names can bring people bad luck. Vincent often went to the tomb with his mom when he was young, and when he was 11 years old, he attended various boarding schools but was unhappy and struggled to fit in. With such a young already away from his family and what he experienced during that time, no one really knew. I do not believe he spoke more to his parents. Also, his papa was a minister; I believe there are a lot of rules or strict, which built his later character in life.

I am interested in analysing human beings deeper inside, maybe because I was not very good at speaking in childhood. I have always liked observing, listening, and imagining.

Also, maybe because my parents work in the hospital. Health, sickness, or death are often the main topics in my family. And my home always smells of Chinese medicine.

My papa is not only a doctor; he is also a social person, and he has many friends from different societies in his surroundings. All his life, he has helped many families not only with medicine but also with getting better jobs through his relationships with high-position people. He has made different families lucky to live together. He changed many people’s lives to be lucky. Even though he is over 80 years old now, he still wants to go to work and doesn’t like only stay at home. He love connecting with people.

My dad sometimes also looks like a maternal figure because of his papa’s political background. He had to support my grandma and his four siblings. Therefore, he has a very kind character and great generosity.

Therefore, I am interested in human beings maybe from him! I am very curious about people. I would like to know who this person is, what kind of character he has, and what he has experienced in life. Why is he melancholy? How can I give him encouragement? …

I want to use my imagination to create different sketch drawings depicting Vincent’s childhood and also my childhood, also the people around us and different areas…

Vincent and Theo, me and my family -1

 

Reading about Vincent’s life and art keeps me awake at the moment; each day, I am curious to know more about him.

Vincent is lucky in life on one side. He has a brother—Theo, Vincent’s only true friend. They kept writing to each other.

In Vincent’s letters, he often mentioned his artwork, detailing his current painting processes, themes, and techniques. He also shared his life experiences, including his health, excitement, passion, loneliness, and wishes. He talked to Theo about people from his surroundings.

Theo’s letters to Vincent: He frequently provided financial support, enabling Vincent to focus on his painting. Theo was deeply concerned about Vincent’s health. He also offered valuable suggestions or talked about his paintings to encourage him. keeping Vincent connected to the art world, Theo updated him on news about galleries and shows. He introduced Vincent to new and emerging artists and their works, providing inspiration and information for Vincent.

Although Theo is younger than Vincent, it looks like Theo takes care of Vincent much more.

Reflecting on Van Gogh’s life, I find similarities in my own family, particularly with my siblings and parents. Like Van Gogh, I am also one of the children in a family whose parents always worried about us.

When I was born, my mom initially didn’t realise my speech mistake had occurred. After discovering this, my papa said many years ago that she spent half a year crying each day. Despite this unexpected beginning, I’ve received the biggest unwavering love and support from my family since childhood. I got everything that I wanted since my childhood.

I’m so lucky that I grew up in a loving family. Of course, children who grow up with speech problems have melancholy from birth, though there is big love around them in life. If I were normal, I would not know what kind of life I would have.

Uncle Cent and Theo

 

—Uncle Cent and the Goupil & Cie.

Goupil & Cie was founded by Adolphe Goupil, who was not from the Van Gogh family. Uncle Cent was a well-known art dealer who sold paintings and prints for Goupil & Cie. He was an important person in bringing Van Gogh to the art world.

 

—Theo Van Gogh

Theo provided Vincent with financial and emotional support throughout his life and played a crucial role in his artistic development. He was not only an art dealer but also he was instrumental in promoting the works of contemporary artists, including those of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements.

 

He began his apprenticeship at the art dealership Goupil & Cie in Brussels. He later worked as an art dealer for Goupil & Cie in Hague, Paris, and London from 1878 until he died in 1891.

 

Theo specialised in selling and promoting works by emerging Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters, including Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Paul Cézanne. He also sold paintings by artists of the Barbizon School, such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet, who were known for their landscapes and depictions of rural life. Other artworks, like prints and drawings, are also available.

 

—created art series about Theo

I am also very interested in creating an art series related to his brother: Theo

Examples:

–Like childhood with Vincent together

–sitting with artists together to listen to their opinions about art.

–His kindness to people and speaking with people in the gallery about impressionist paintings

—appeared with Vincent together in a different situation

— in the cemetery, they are neigbours. I plan to create artworks ‘two ghosts chatting’, a concept that will be brought to life through my imagination and fantasy in a series of unique drawings.

-—-The Kern of this series of artworks is inspired by the Vincent and Theos letters (Theo wrote 40 letters to Vincent, 600 letters from Vincent to Theo); then, I will develop more drawings. With these drawings, I will develop different artworks related to different art mediums with the time.

Love

 

I am always interested in analysing human beings and like to delve deep into their inner selves. Everyone has experienced feelings of love in life. I am very interested in Van Gogh’s women, such as Ursula, Kee, Sien, and Margot. I want to learn more about their stories through Van Gogh’s letters, and writings from different people.

 

One of the key aspects of my analysis is the exploration of his women’s thoughts on Van Gogh and his thoughts on them, their impact on him and his impact on them. This will allow me to learn more about their differences and similarities, such as their family backgrounds, characters, jobs, and social status. Once I have gathered enough information, I will embark on the process of developing various concepts about Van Gogh’s love for these women. This will involve a more deeper dive into his letters, my own emotional responses, and the historical context of their relationships.

 

Some ideas:

I will create different sketch drawings based on Van Gogh’s women from various periods.

 

I want to create a show called “Van Gogh’s Love.” With Multimedia Space Performance Installation with different show spaces.

 

Possible 1:

Each space will represent one of his women, each with a unique atmosphere ranging from normal to happy, dreaming, excitement, and melancholic. The artworks will include paintings, videos, installations, writing, and music. In one of these spaces, there will be a performance related to the theme of love each day. One more space will be kept empty for people to rest and reflect on their own lives and love.

 

Possible 2:

In this “Objects & Video Performance Installation” form, I will display artworks related to Van Gogh by using different art mediums like paintings, videos, installations, writing, and music. There is only one big space for the show. Each piece will be surrounded by objects with which visitors can interact. A5 note will describe different stories close to each artwork. This show will build connections between objects, spaces, and people, creating a three-dimensional network. …

 

There are countless possibilities for creating works related to Van Gogh’s women.

art, nudity, eroticism, or sexuality -2

Vincent primarily produced portraits, still life, landscape paintings and drawings. Despite this, there is a belief that he also did some explicit erotic works. When reviewing his artworks, there are almost no pieces that are explicitly erotic.
Vincent had a tumultuous relationship with his sexuality and intimacy, which might have led to the creation of erotic works. People who are introspective or do not like speaking often love to imagine, which might have contributed to the belief in his destroyed erotic works. Additionally, it’s possible that Van Gogh’s erotic paintings were destroyed due to his family’s strong religious background.
Like most artists, he became more interested in painting or drawing naked female models during his time in Paris. I also made a lot of naked model drawings during my art learning, and I am also very happy as a model in drawing lessons.
I have been working as a model for drawing courses Since 2002. Over time, this has become a part of my life. My journey into this line of work began when my teacher, Marina Abramovic, suggested that we consider working as models to earn extra money.

I really enjoy this job; it gives me time to speak with myself while they sketch me. This job has also greatly helped with my nude performance works, expanding my possibilities in creating performance art. In 1995 East Village artists performed “To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain” and “Nine Holes”. That was my first time performing nude. Since 2000, I’ve done more nude performances. I am very grateful to Marina for her excellent teaching and for introducing us to model jobs in drawing lessons in school.

Today, performers perform naked less and less, and sometimes, I feel pity. Sometimes, people ask me why I do naked performances. I always tell them it depends on what kind of performance I conceived. For example, “Venus from rubbish.” If I do this performance, if I wear clothes, it will be very strange.

art, nudity, eroticism, or sexuality -1

I often read about artists and prostitutes. Gauguin and Vincent to Prostitute… Then I got to know 19th-century European artists who often visited brothels. Society had quite an open attitude towards sex and morality at that time. In some areas, brothels were regarded as legal social venues, not only offering sexual services but also serving as places for artists, writers, and entertainers to gather.
In one of my performances in 2003, wrote:
“….Before I was 21 years old, I really knew nothing about sex, and I had never even spoken the word. I had a lot of questions in my mind at that time, for example: “Why does a woman become pregnant?”, “Where do I come from?”, …”
This describes my curiosity about human sexuality. Artists in the East Village are quite young and pursue free expression and unconventional lives compared to regular people. In conventional society, East Village artists had very unconventional lifestyles at that time. Besides their artistic works, they talked a lot about sex and women. Sex made some artists passionate and made others very sad.

I accidentally heard sex-related topics on the radio. Later, through my first boyfriend, who was also living in the East Village, I got to know more about sex. Because of his open-mindedness about sex, we both eventually had an open relationship. I then began to research sexuality and almost became a sexuality scientist through theory and practice.

In many East Village paintings, I think sex played a very important role. One of the paintings I created was named “Artists in Dashanzhuang.” We lived in the Dashanzhuang area, which later became well-known as Beijing East Village. This painting represented my feelings about the artists at that time. However, when some artists found out that I painted them, they suggested I not use the original name, so I changed the name to “Instinkt.”

Many people have already seen the portrait that Rongrong did in East Village in the Tate Modern collection area. The background of this photo was this painting.

excitement, loneliness, melancholy and anger van Gogh

Van Gogh very seldom painted himself in the landscape or among people, so I would like to make some drawings in which Vincent is present. The drawings are the beginning of later development of different art mediums, such as performance, installation, drawing/Painting, video and sound, or a fairy tale text.

1. Excited Van Gogh
a. The background of a London scene that he passes by for work every day, I can draw his excitement.
b. I can make different drawings, each of which related to one of his Women, whom he fell in love with, excited van Gogh
c. In the yellow house excited make the house good, everything i nthe house flying around him , excited Van Gogh
d. Among the simple people like field workers, coal workers, excited van Gogh
e. In different landscapes, excited Van Gogh
….

2. Lonely and melancholy Van Gogh
a. In the mids of rich people dancing, one can see lonely Van Gogh
b. Smoking or drinking alcohol alone
c. In front of the bible, read Melancholy Van Gogh
d. Related to different women and melancholy time too
e. Vincent spent periods of his life in psychiatric hospitals, and I can make some drawings related to these melancholies.
….

3. Angry Van Gogh
a. Angry face of Vincent on the way with sacred Gauguin on his Should
b. His yellow house is either shaking or slowly broken, or all the furniture looks strange
c. All the sunflowers in the landscape were unusual, all facing in one direction.
d. A very big sun looms over the yellow field, seeming to want to burn it. Vincent lies in the field.
e. He throws everything from the windows out of the yellow house, and the children run away.
f. An enormous sea approaches his angry face.
g. His mirror is broken on the floor, reflecting his broken face
…

Anyway, I only wrote some examples from my mind to create some drawings. I can depict his life from childhood until his death, capturing these diverse experiences of excitement, loneliness, melancholy and anger van Gogh during my virtual residency time.

Relationship with Gauguin and one idea of Van Gogh.

Since Gauguin came to live in the Yellow House, they have had different opinions about art and have been fighting constantly.

They both painted the whole day and could not sleep in the evening because they were constantly angry. They ate too little food, were exposed to too much sun, too many colours, too much excitement, and had too much smoke and alcohol in their bodies…

From my side, Gauguin made Van Gogh down, made him feel unconfident, and made him sad and more crazy with mental problems. Actually, Van Gogh should have stayed away from this kind of people. Then maybe his life later would be more lucky. I can understand Van Gogh better than Gauguin because I grew up with speech problem, and I was always behind people in my childhood…

Though Gauguin did not like one idea from Vincent, I like Van Gogh’s one idea about working with different artists very much. He told Gauguin that they were not successful because each artist only did his own painting. Each has its own good or bad side, but if all the Artists work together on one painting, then it brings more success. Seurat painted air, Gauguin painted a landscape, Lautrec painted people, and he painted the sun or stars and moon.

I have been involved in collaboration since 2005, and I really love it! Since 2005, I have done more than 100 collaboration performance projects. solo performances from 2000 until now.

I have only one head, and my knowledge is limited to what I know. Therefore, I have always thought more heads were more clever; each has its own ability.

I’m curious about people, their work, and what they know. So, working together, I believe it will be very strong and we can accomplish great things

I have learned a lot during the collaboration, opened my heart to people, and gained a lot of wisdom.

Working with different people can be challenging, but I have learned a lot about how to arrange problems and how to be more generous.

Yellow house and his painting experience in Arles.

Van Gogh is delighted to have found a city and a house he loves: the yellow house in Arles. After constantly moving around, he wants to settle down here all his life.

All artists are welcome to live in the yellow house rent-free; instead, they can send Theo one painting each month. When Theo has a lot of impressionist paintings, he can move away from Goupil and open his own gallery in Paris.

The floor was made of red tiles. He painted the walls a delicate purple. He bought sheets and pillowcases in a very light greenish-yellow colour, then a scarlet blanket. He painted the bed frame and the chairs as yellow as fresh butter, the door purple, the washstand orange-yellow, and the bowl on it blue….”

I am interested in how he made the colour in his room in Arles. It is a very contemporary and looks like he made a space installation with colour. I can imagine doing one art project in which I arrange the space and things in the space with colour in Van Gogh House London or somewhere, so people will quickly realise it is Van Gogh’s colour.

During the talking with Gauguin, I learned more about van Gogh’s paintings.

He said
“… make paintings enthusiastically.
—Painting the sun, to feel how the sun rotates so quickly and radiates waves of light and heat of enormous power…
… painting a cornfield, to feel how the atoms in the corn push and press…
painting an apple, to feel how the juice of the apple presses against the skin…
…painting a farmer in the field, to feel how the sun flows into the farmer, into the field, into the grain, and how they all flow back into the sun…”

From what van Gogh said, I have a lot of feelings, and I could make different visual artworks.

When van Gogh actually spoke to Gauguin, I still felt that he needed to be more confident in his art. Gauguin is much more confident, but I love, of course, van Gogh’s opinion much more. I also like that he is always doing and going on.
I am very much remembered as the beginning of my art career; if someone saw my paintings and spoke like Gauguin, I was upset and explained again and again…

Mosquito dancing and woman Maya fairy tale

Van Gogh always draws landscapes. He was often bitten by mosquitoes, and when I heard about this, it reminded me of a performance I did in Trinidad called “Mosquito Dancing”—it was really itching. I also thought about creating a painting depicting his legs, marked by mosquito bites that he constantly licked the mosquito bites. I can put this performance documentation and also the painting with mosquito Bites of van Gogh together.

One dialogue that deeply moved me was the exchange between Van Gogh and a woman named Maya. The emotional depth of their conversation inspired me to create a musical piece. Despite my limited piano skills, I felt compelled to compose a simple melody that would capture the beauty, melancholy, and other aspects of their interaction.

“Behind Vincent in the field, he heard a soft voice from a woman who told him that she had been his best friend and loved him and that her love for him would never end. He mentioned his bad teeth, red eyes, thinning hair, and thin …. but the woman responded by saying that she had fallen in love with him the first time she saw his painting and that she had been following him around Europe for the past eight years.

Vincent was deeply touched by her beauty, gentle yet strong presence, kind eyes, and sincerity, especially because women had always looked down on him.
Van Gogh spoke to her about his love to women. He shared his honest thoughts, questioning who would appreciate his hard work and whether his art would ever be valued. She encouraged him that he was great; people would understand his artwork one day after his death; his work would be very expensive; his work would be everywhere in the world…

In another scene, they sat together in a field, her arm resting on his legs. She wore white, exuding purity, creating a romantic and loving atmosphere as they kissed, deeply connected.

Today, I learned a lot about his life in Arles, and I also learned that this city has many sick people with Epilepsy and strong wind.

Van Gogh and Theo chatted before he came to Arles. Again, I felt Vincent was so lucky because his brother supported him. This reminded me of my own life.

I began doing art at the age of 21 in 1991. Luckily, my parents always supported me until I finished studying in Germany in 2007. Even though they did not really like what I did, they gave me the best conditions and let me focus on art. Even my one brother, two sisters, and my husband supported me with their hearts. Therefore, I could focus on art.

During my art career, a lot happened with my family, for example, they regret letting me do art because they always worried about my future life with living and also my health. Even my papa always dreamt that I was sick and no one around me, and he always woke from bad dreams because of me.

One time, my parents visited me in Beijing while I was living in East Village in the 1990s. After they saw my painting, they got so upset that they should have travelled to other cities, but because of their sadness, they could not go on.

My mom was crazy and told me that what I painted, her grandson could do too. And my papa had almost a heart attack. I have many, many regrets from them, and they always wanted to bring me back to them again, and let me go on with my engineering work in my city, and then save a life…

They are always worried about me and always support me, and they hope I can live by myself one day. Luckily, I can live by art after studying performance. I do not have a regular salary, but as an artist, I already have a very good life.

Today, I went through Van Gogh’s catalogue, including his drawings and paintings. Every time I see his paintings, I feel that I want to copy them. When I first began learning art in the 1990s, I copied and painted his paintings a few times. But at that time, I was young and did not really understand him very well. Through this virtual residency, I am really very happy to have the opportunity to learn more about him. I hope one day I really begin to paint again his drawings and paintings to get more of a feel about him and his artworks. Also, I hope also go to Landscape to paint and go to normal people’s lives to make paintings more.

I would quite like to know about an artist’s life and works. I never say that one artist is good or not when I see one or more works. I will decide whether he is a good artist or not after I have done research about his/her whole life and what he has done. Because each artist has done good works, and each artist has not done good works. I always admire artists who are diligent in working, whether their work is good or not, for me, it is not so important. It is important this artist is always doing and thinking and developing.

I also learned that Van Gogh painted many of Jean-François Millet’s paintings. He admired Millet, who loved to paint normal people working. He painted farmers planting seeds, women baking bread, and people working in the fields. Influenced by Millet, Van Gogh made many paintings of simple people, such as working people in the fields, portraits, or doing other work.

He grew up in a good-quality family, but simple people inspired him; he likes to interact with them to draw them.

I will take time to think how I related these kind of art works also to the Van Gogh House in London. I found also I need maybe one day just doing different concepts related to van Gogh’s art works.

These past two days, I’ve learned more about Van Gogh and have many stories about him in my mind.

His brother Theo knew many Impressionist painters, such as Paul Gauguin and Claude Monet. Theo’s connections with these artists provided Van Gogh with an important platform and network. The discussions among Van Gogh and the Impressionist painters enriched Vincent’s understanding of art, inspiring his innovative approaches. This direct contact with them influenced his paintings, especially the use of color.

I’ve been thinking about Van Gogh and the position he held among the artists when he met them through Theo, who was a gallerist.

Through Theo’s support, Van Gogh could fully dedicate himself to painting and drawing.

From this point, I also think of many famous painters throughout history who produced numerous artworks, often supported by contracts or supports and so on. Because of this support, They made a lot of artworks, and therefore, their many artworks are widely seen today.

Having a structured approach, like a contract or a personal rule, is crucial for artists. When I came to Germany for my studies, I made a commitment to create art every day and plan my time. During my studies, I produced many artworks and continued to work on art daily after my studies. This has helped me develop my own artistic practice.

I am currently deeper into Van Gogh’s life by reading a book about him and trying to make some thinking about his paintings or drawings. Then, I would like to develop performance concepts.

He has various fantasies about Ursula. For instance, he imagines her as the wife of a gallery owner or as a priest’s wife living with him. I can imagine making some paintings, and these paintings are dreamlike, capturing her smiles at him.

He teaches in the village and frequently travels to London to try to see Ursula. He would wait in front of her house until all the lights went out.

Another painting: a scene depicted of a man waiting in front of a dark house with an atmosphere of melancholy.

Van Gogh was interested in visiting poor people’s areas. People there had very bad clothes and food. They told him about their difficult lives. Van Gogh tried to speak in front of people in church.

I envision some paintings related to these poor people.

He gets to know about her marriage.

One painting depicts Ursula and her husband sitting in a horse-drawn carriage, kissing each other, with Van Gogh’s face looking very sad in the background.

Another painting captures the sounds of happy music and people dancing at a wedding, with individuals throwing rice in congratulations.

I have read almost all of his letters since yesterday, and it is very interesting to know that in most of them, he wrote about the details of his drawings and paintings and the progress of using different materials like coal, pen, and colour. From his letters, I learned about his colour theory. Of course, I need to read his letters one by one slowly, over time.

Van Gogh was a truly diligent artist. He spent all his time drawing or painting, thinking and developing, and putting all his energy and passion into his creations.

From his diary, I can see my own art life, too. Since childhood, I have had dreams of art; therefore, since I was 21, I have begun an artist life. Until now I feel like I live in a dream and I love art creating.

Today, I spoke with my husband, Jürgen Bernhard Kuck, about Van Gogh. Jürgen is an artist, art educator, and writer. He is very knowledgeable; his whole life has been spent reading, writing, and drawing almost daily.

We rarely learn about Van Gogh’s childhood from his books, as well as his relationship with his parents and other children in the family and his childhood surroundings. I am very interested in how his personality developed during his childhood and what his childhood was like until he was 20 years old. I like to do research about him also through my life experience. I like to analyze this aspect of his life. I would like to create some performances related to different art mediums through my imagination.

Today, I learned more about his time in the house in London, Ursula and her family, and his love for her. I also learned more about Van Gogh’s father and mom, and his work in the London Gallery.

I can make some paintings related to his living in London house.

-—- He tried to win her love but received coldness from her. I can imagine how hard it was for Van Gogh, and I can read his inside: I can paint his emotions toward Ursula—his dream love, passion, sadness, melancholy and disappointment. The atmosphere of all paintings is very quiet, naive and melancholic, as if something is flying to his dream…

His mom is worried about him because she can feel something wrong with Van Gogh, and his papa is disappointed because he did not follow his way as a priest. I can express my feelings in paintings between his mom and him. For example, I can portray her with nice eyes staring at him and with a worried expression. Additionally, I can depict his hug with a larger hand to his body and a mom’s loving feeling. The father can be portrayed sitting somewhere with a cross, and Van Gogh can be included somewhere in the painting to create a sense of distance. Papa and van Gogh visit poor people; I can also open my imagination to paint…maybe also related to my family papa and mom love.

He does not focus on his work in the London gallery because of the sad love.

I can make a painting featuring poor people in the gallery, not just rich people. I can imagine a painting of a rich woman with a feather on her body. I can also paint the inside of van Gogh in the gallery with hating this kind of society people.

In a way, that allows me to imagine creating all the paintings, such as fairy tales and other fantasy themes.

Today is the first day I do “Yingmei curious about Vincent Van Gogh”. In the morning, I tried to read in German about his landscape catalog, Vincent Van Gogh – Die Rohrfederzeichnungen. If I read in German for just one hour with no internet translation for this project, I think 100 hours are really too short.

Then I tried via the internet to read about his drawings in Chinese. In the past, I did not know many of Van Gogh’s drawings, but since this month, I have discovered more of his drawings. His drawings reminded me of when I was in Beijing in 1991, starting my art learning. I often drew in different classes and modes, sketched at the railway station, and sometimes stayed in the station almost the whole day to make drawings. I was so lucky each day to draw because I finally realised my art-learning dream.

As I saw so many drawings, my first feeling was that I wanted to make them three-dimensional and include people in them. 3 or 5 different drawings appeared in 3D landscapes as an installation. People could also hear the songs of birds, feel the wind, and breathe fresh air.

Another thought was I want to perform outside each day for 3 months: sitting in the landscape in the countryside or in the city each day, creating drawings.

In the afternoon, I got Livia’s book from China, and I read some of his diaries. I like this book. It will help me learn more about his thoughts. Then, I can analyse Van Gogh to understand what kind of person he is.

And later, I also listened a bit to his story in London with the girl he fell in love with, and then I can imagine how hard it is for him…

With 25 years of focusing on performance art, I have established my own system using the following categories: “Solo Performance,” “Performance Installation,” “Changing Exhibition,” “Daily Live Art Performance,” “Equal Collaborative Performance,” “Object Interactive Performance,” “Object & Video Interactive Performance,” and “Sound & Music Performance.” In the form of “Daily Live Art Performance,” I will realise my entire 3-month virtual residency as a performance art project. 

Without an on-site residency at Van Gogh House, I cannot directly, physically feel the historical significance of the space, so I would like to create a connection with Van Gogh House through imagination. I dedicate one hour a day to learning more about Van Gogh. I intend to create several virtual art performances incorporating painting, installation, video, writing, sound and photography. Some of these virtual concepts will be interactive and collaborative. I would like to work on the basis of the following ideas:

 

“I am interested in learning about Van Gogh’s life in London. I would like to know more about his relationships with his parents, his brother, and the girl he fell in love with. I am intrigued by Van Gogh’s connections with people, his home, and the landscapes surrounding him… 

 

I am interested in his entire biography, as well as his drawings and paintings. I want to learn about his longings, joys, worries, melancholy, passions, decadence, fears, and more…

 

During this virtual residency, I also want to relate this exploration to my own life, including my relationships with my family members, my love life, my surroundings, my emotions, and my connections with people from different parts of the world. All the virtual concepts will be related to the past, present, and future, and can address various topics in our contemporary society.“

“We are delighted to welcome Yingmei to the Van Gogh House as part of this exciting research project with Newcastle University. In particular we are interested in her performance practice and look forward to seeing how Yingmei engages remotely with all that the house has to offer!“

– Livia Wang, Creative Director of Van Gogh House