~ Chahat Kanchan
ART, a genuine gift to the world by numerous people, whose names have been written down in the pages of world history and will never be forgotten for they have made themselves immortal through their art. Be it, Donatello, with his masterpiece The Bronze David or Raphael with his masterpiece The School of Athens or Michelangelo with his David or Leonardo da Vinci with Mona Lisa, they all became immortal because of their artworks.
These sketches have made the artists immortal. However, the sketch that has recently caused a stir in the art community is WORN OUT– by Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most famous painters of his time.
Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born to an upper-middle-class family in 1853. His artwork did not receive much recognition during his lifetime, but his reputation grew in the early 20th century.
Today Van Gogh’s works are among the most expensive paintings in the world. Although he may be perceived as a crazy artist by many, his exceptional works include The Sunflowers, Starry Nights, The Room of Arles, Café Terrace at Night, The Potato Eaters, The Siesta, etc.
“What a fine sight an old working man makes, in his patched bombazine suit with his bald head.”
-Van Gogh
He said this about his sketch Worn Out. He had a liking for the working class, marked by life, and the title of the sketch itself emphasizes the element of the theme he chose. This tired old man lived at the Dutch Reformed Almshouse for Men and Women in The Hague. Its residents posed for Van Gogh in old clothes for a small amount of money.
He made dozens of such sketches and one such sketch was recently discovered by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Sad though that his art was not admired during his lifetime, but it is surely receiving all the acclamation it deserves, in the present.
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