Influence of Adolphe Monticelli on Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was an erudite, well-read, and intelligent man. He used modern painting techniques in his art, such as pointillism and impasto. The system of pointillism was originally developed by George Seurat (1859–1891). He called this system Divisionism, but it is better known as Pointillism. Vincent van Gogh valued the expressive power of color and even elevated it above form (which was a modern way of thinking at the time). He was also influenced by Japonism.

Vincent van Gogh and Adolphe Monticelli

Monticelli (1824–1886) was an artist from Marseille with a powerful painting technique featuring thick impasto and abundant color.[1] He was a student of the Provence school.[2] Later, his painting style was influenced by Delaroche, Narcisse Diaz, Delacroix, and the Impressionists. When Vincent van Gogh saw Monticelli's work in 1886, he was inspired by his painting style and lifestyle, but also by his mental state. This played a key role in Van Gogh's decision to leave for Provence to paint. In 1888, the Van Gogh brothers published a book about Monticelli's work. [3] Vincent van Gogh wrote: “…I’m forced to lay the paint on thickly, à la Monticelli. Sometimes I really believe I’m continuing that man’s work…”[4]. The following line of thought from one of Van Gogh’s letters shows that he fully identified with Monticelli: “…Taking up the same cause, carrying on the same work, living the same life, dying the same death.”[5]

On the advice of the Scottish art dealer Alexander Reid, Theo van Gogh began buying works by Monticelli in 1886.[6] In his letter to Theo, Vincent writes that he now also uses thick layers of impasto in his technique, just like Monticelli, and that he sometimes even thinks he is continuing Monticelli's work.[7] In another letter to Theo, he writes that he has a better sense of the colours of Monticelli and Delacroix than ever before since he started painting in Arles. He also writes that they should buy more Monticelli's art because one day it will be valuable. He notes that paintings by Monticelli have never before been etched or reproduced in lithographs.[8] Theo van Gogh picked up on this idea, and in 1889 they began working with the lithographer Lauzet on a book about Monticelli's work.[9] Vincent van Gogh often compares himself to Monticelli, calling him a talented colourist. He believes that a man who has to think very hard about the balance of a range of colours while painting at a rapid pace is in fact overloading his brain and needs to numb himself with drink and smoking as Monticelli did, but he does not call him a drunkard.[10] Vincent van Gogh writes to his sister Willemien: “Ah well, I myself am sure that I’ll carry him on here as if I were his son or his brother.”[11] He further writes that he is working on a painting in yellow, which is 14 Sunflowers, he wants to have it exhibited in Marseille and there will certainly be people who will recognise the style and spirit of Monticelli in it.[12]

In his letter to Theo, Vincent explains Charles Blanc's theory of complementary colors, which Delacroix firmly believed in. He writes that if two primary colors, such as red and blue, are combined, and the resulting binary color, violet, is placed very close to the third primary color not present in the mixture, yellow in this case, then the violet is greatly amplified.[13] The primary and complementary colors are defined by Charles Blanc's color wheel. By placing dots of the complementary colors next to each other instead of mixing them on a palette, each complementary color is optically amplified. Vincent van Gogh considered Charles Blanc's theory the gospel and reiterated that it was not what colors and tones were in themselves that mattered, but what they did on the canvas.[14] He had learned from Blanc that painters should not start from local colors, but from the colors in their palette.”[15] Vincent writes in one of his letters to Theo: “Now it’s true, I see in Impressionism the resurrection of Eugéne Delacroix.”[16] In another letter to H.M. Lievens, he writes: “So as we said at the time in color seeking life, the true drawing is modeling with color.”[17] Vincent van Gogh often experiments with balls of wool to test color combinations.[18]

The strong oil impasto and color range that we find in the painting Vase with Flowers by Monticelli (fig. 1) can also be seen in the painting Vase with Chinese Asters and Gladioli by Vincent van Gogh (fig. 2). This Monticelli painting was in the brothers’ collection. In 1886, Vincent van Gogh began copying Monticelli’s flower still lifes.[19] In one of his letters to Theo he wrote: “That Monticelli would sometimes take a bouquet of flowers in order to put on a single panel the whole range of his richest and most perfectly balanced tones. And that you have to go straight to Delacroix to find such an orchestration of colours.”[20] Van Gogh recognises Delacroix's colour technique in Monticelli's flower still lifes.

Adolphe Monticelli, Vase with Flowers, c. 1875, oil on panel, 51 cm x 39 cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (afb.1).

Vincent van Gogh, Vase with Chinese Asters and Gladioli, 1886, oil on canvas, 61.1 cm x 46.1 cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (afb.2).

Bibliography

Fowle, F., R. Thomson. Soil and Stone: Impressionism, Urbanism, and Environment. London: Routledge, 2016.

Jansen, L., H. Luijten, N. Bakker. Vincent van Gogh: I Have a Fire in Me, His Most Beautiful Letters. Amsterdam: Overamstel Publishers, 2016.

Russe, R. Monroe, Creative Brainstorms: The Relationship Between Madness and Genius, New York: Invirgton Publishers Inc., 1992, 154.

Sheon, A. Monticelli: His Contemporaries, His Influence. Ohio: Cox Lithographing Corporation, 1978. Exh.cat. Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh.

Sheon, A. “Theo van Gogh, Publisher: The Monticelli Album.” Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000. Waanders, Zwolle 2000.

Stonor, K., R. Morrison. “Adolphe Montichelli: The Materials and Techniques of an Unfashionable Artist.” In National Art Technical Bulletin 33, edited by Ashok Roy, pp. 50-72. London: Jale University Press, 2012.

Uitert, E. van., “The Tone of Vincent van Gogh: Conceptions of Color in His Dutch Period.” Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, 2 (1966-1967), pp. 106-115.

Websites

“Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 689, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 26 september 1888, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let689/letter.html

“Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 686, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 24 september 1888, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let686/letter.html

“Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 830, Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh, Parijs, 22 december 1889, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let830/letter.html

“Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 635, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 1 juli 1888, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let635/letter.html

Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 670, To Willemien van Gogh, Aarles, 26 augustus 1888, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let670/letter.html

“Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 494, To Theo van Gogh, Nuenen, 18 april 1885, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let494/letter.html

“Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 683, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 18 september 1888, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let683/letter.html

“Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 569, To Horace Mann Lievens, Parijs, oktober 1886, geraadpleegd op 2 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let569/letter.html

Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 589, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 25 maart 1888, geraadpleegd op 5 mei 2020, van http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let589/letter.html

“Vangoghmuseum”, Van Gogh Museum, geraadpleegd op 6 mei 2020, van https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/nl/verhalen/op-zoek-naar-contrast

[1] R. Russe, Monroe, Creative brainstorms: the relationship between madness and genius, New York: Invirgton Publishers inc., 1992, 154. [2] K. Stonor, R. Morrison. “Adolphe Montichelli: the materials and technicues of an unfashionable artist.” In National art technical bulletin 33, edited by Ashok Roy., 50-72. London: Jale University Press, 201, 27.. [3] Ibid., 52. [4] Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 689, To Theo van Gogh Aarles, 26 september 1888. [5] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 670, To Willemien van Gogh, Aarles, 26 augustus 1888. [6] F. Fowle. Soil and stone: impressionism, urbanism environment. (London Routledge), 2016, 135. [7] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 689, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 26 september 1888. [8] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 686, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 24 september 1888. [9] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 830, Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh, Parijs, 22 december 1889. [10] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 635, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 1 juli 1888. [11] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 670, To Willemien van Gogh, Aarles, 26 augustus 1888. [12] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 670, To Willemien van Gogh, Aarles, 26 augustus 1888. [13] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 494, To Theo van Gogh, Nuenen, 18 april 1885. [14] E. van, Uitert, “De toon van Vincent van Gogh: opvattingen over kleur in zijn Hollandse periode”. Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, Vol. 1, No. 2 (1966 - 1967), 108. [15] Ibid., 114. [16] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 683, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 18 september 1888. [17] “Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 569, To Horace Mann Lievens, Parijs, oktober 1886. [18] “Vangoghmuseum”, Van Gogh Museum. [19] A. Sheon. “Theo van Gogh, publisher: the Monticelli album”. Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000. (Waanders Zwolle 2000), 57-58. [20] Vangoghletters”, Van Gogh Museum, letter 589, To Theo van Gogh, Aarles, 25 maart 1888.