How I Easily Play With Vincent Van Gogh Paintings

Why Vincent van Gogh Paintings?

Vincent van Gogh never sold any of his masterpieces. Let that sink in: for many of us, art is about struggle.

So where is the easy part for a beginner? The digital artform for many folks gives all the enjoyment of getting your hands dirty, but without the finger painting or smeared smocks.

If my exploits inspire you to try your hand making digital art I will be very happy for you. Let me know how you do.

During my art school days we studied Post Modern art theory. You might be asking, what is that? Simply put the past and present married up become something very new.

In order to be fair to you, I must admit I am not struggling as van Gogh did at times in his short life.

I sell my artwork today as posters and canvas prints.

Come with me in these writings on a journey.

The Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam and the Rijksmuseum

“To do good work one must eat well, be well housed, have one’s fling from time to time, smoke one’s pipe, and drink one’s coffee in peace.” “I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate.”

Vincent van Gogh quotes https://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/quotes.html

Many of the van Gogh paintings I have worked with are housed in the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam or the Rijksmuseum. These two institutions offer images of the paintings for download. I am eternally grateful to them.

If you are touring Amsterdam and want to see these museums, I suggest make prior reservations. You will not be disappointed.

Official museum sites: Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam and Rijksmuseum.

Van Gogh somewhere to begin

In 2006 I decided to become an artist. An idea had come to mind, why not put a figure from one masterpiece into another totally different masterpiece using computers? You can see this has been done.

Even in 2006 this was not so radical.

Over the next few years, I began to think what about fusing different genres of art?

In 2010 I made friends with a retired engineer, first name Tevis. He has a strong background in photography. In 2012 I began to study Photoshop.

By 2014 I went into production. Tevis’s guidance and feedback propelling me into better image qualities.

No need to burrow down into the detail. You want to see the results.

Are you enjoying this image? Heads it is up, tails it is down. LOL Some of you will love this. There are three layers of Vincent van Gogh paintings in this image. The rays cut one layer deep as they enter from the left. The rays coming from the right cut two layers deep.

What’s next? I have something for you.

You can enjoy the reds and oranges on the left running into greens then blues to the right. The swirl of paintings created by the open white space gives depth.

This powerfully beautiful print comes alive like the famous Doors of Dublin with color and character.

I want to go deep…..

….but have no fear, I will keep these writings on the entertaining side.

This is based on van Gogh’s “Noon Rest From Work”. My prints of this are incredible. If no one has told you yet. LOL The luster paper option truly is spectacular.

Unfortunately I did not know van Gogh personally. I am not shy with people about my creations. He was bedeviled or tormented in life.

If you read his writings, you might be surprised. Vincent was extremely well lettered. Reading van Gogh quotes challenges many assumptions about the mentally ill.

“There is a great difference between one idler and another idler. There is someone who is an idler out of laziness and lack of character, owing to the baseness of his nature. If you like, you may take me for one of those. Then there is the other kind of idler, the idler despite himself, who is inwardly consumed by a great longing for action who does nothing because his hands are tied, because he is, so to speak, imprisoned somewhere, because he lacks what he needs to be productive, because disastrous circumstances have brought him forcibly to this end. Such a one does not always know what he can do, but he nevertheless instinctively feels, I am good for something! My existence is not without reason! I know that I could be a quite a different person! How can I be of use, how can I be of service? There is something inside me, but what can it be? He is quite another idler. If you like you may take me for one of those.”

― Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

As you can see, my first images were all conceptual work.

Applying Other Digital Tools

Now I begin to play with the tools. You ever get a gadget, wonder what it can do, and come up with some cool sounds? Or a new perspective?

The underlying is van Gogh Almond Blossoms, such a gentle and subtle painting.

This is one of van Gogh’s Cypress paintings. You can see I have used the painting in a variety of ways. You will find I have used several of underlying paintings multiple times.

The feedback on the piece below has been joyous. The colors I have reworked spark something deep inside the viewers.

Vincent van Gogh “Irises”, this is nothing like anything the artist ever expressed. Since van Gogh was so exploratory in his day, do you think he would want to explore computer art?

“Roses and Irises”, I have extensively used this painting. Amazed each time by the sheer durability of the underlying painting as I applied digital techniques.

The shifts in color within this are complex. Reworking seven different versions in total, you can find a color scheme to decorate your wonderful space. The different versions are scattered across the three different collections: Rustic, Blend and Inv Blend.

Below are more of Vincent van Gogh Irises. This time the underlying painting has not been changed. Yet the modernization is complete as you can see.

The Black and White Collection, BW, was a novel experiment in perspectives. You can see this same white crop out in black within my collection.

The Layered Collection

Experimenting with the tools led to The Layered Collection.

Some of the artists in my life that I look up to gave me compliments on these works. I was blown away and so grateful.

The “Almond Blossoms” for digital treatments proved again very durable as a medium for my purposes. The colors are meant to catch your attention. Workable as wonderful accent pieces in your home.

This mix of “Roses and Irises” against “Almond Blossoms” has a sister piece with the Almond Blossoms in green. In red this is festive. In a rich green in your library or living room the art compliments the woodwork.

How do you feel about orange reds? My opinion orange reds as a child left me in awe. Navy blues boarding on black more in awe. Depending on the size of the print this image runs from small and subtle to large and powerful.

“Noon Rest From Work”, this is love. There was a certain pleasure in creating this modernization.

Contemporary Art

As I related to you in this blog, I mix genres. The subject in a contemporary artwork becomes an object. You might be scratching your head, I mean the portrait of a person is now a thing.

In order to demonstrate this to you I will include one van Gogh and two non van Gogh images. You can also see the Contemporary Collection.

The collection of images moves from subject to object, then to minimalist icons.

The Prince in a dress is now in a plastic wrap like a doll.

What would Michelangelo think? His eyes might not understand what this icon is. We perceive the silhouette of David. The simple movement of ideas is to engage you.

From a world of contemporary ideas you are about to enter a different perspective on art. Is that the definition of radical? LOL

You might be seeing a pattern here. I never settle down into one style of work. This was a taboo for artists. I got plenty of pushback in my artists circles for not picking up a singular style.

First I think entertaining you matters. Second using digital tools allowed me a freedom painters do not have. Third I am not in a gallery setting being dictated to by the gallery owner. Meaning what sells is because of my relationship with you. No one else is going to figure that out and keep me to one style or one idea.

American Intellectual

Post Post Art

This is the American Intellectual Collection Murals description:

“Post Pop Art, the larger world of thought and American dreams. These prints can be printed up to a size of 9 x 4 feet. Smaller sizes look great framed.”

The American Intellectual Collection Murals by David Bridburg

Pop Art is concerned with our culture since the Vietnam War. Post Pop Art is involved with the greater complexity of our culture in more recent years. Colors are introduced, ie pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows. Moving artwork away from the natural world of greens.

I can see American Intellectual 6 in a New York City penthouse. This mural has power and elegance that makes a statement.

American Intellectual 7 is the sister piece. The sheer bastardization of van Gogh Almond Blossoms questions a cultural state of mind. These works are powerfully political. Veering deeply into abstractions, I leave you to think these over for meanings.

My tact is the opposite of author and legend Mark Twain.

“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.

BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR

per

G.G., CHEIF OF ORDANCES”

― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huck Finn

Next pinks and turquoise in American Intellectual 11. This is a very different direction for you. A ribbon belonging in your bright sunny spacious living room. Van Gogh’s “Almond Blossoms” are the underlying.

Below you see French farm fields from 135 years ago. The underlying painting was modified by me first, and used in prior works. The green skies and richer yellow golds are my alterations.

The abstract is gently tumbling over the country side image.

The Modernization of Vincent van Gogh

The Political Scrog Collection is modern art, but under the umbrella of Postmodernism.

Are you wondering, what is a “scrog”? A scrog is a metal wire mesh over growing marijuana plants. The buds of the plant are dragged across the mesh to get the plant to grow more buds.

Taken as a political matter, marijuana is relevant in the here and now. We are incarcerating people left and right for crimes related to their drug use. This is a waste of tax pay money at best. At worst locking people up hurts a lot of families unnecessarily. JMO As of this writing things have been changing.

I am not a smoker or toker of marijuana.

The titles run as “Recent x”. Recent being a synonym for modern. “Recent” is a placeholder for “Untitled” that was used ad nauseum by many artists. In my collections I do this sort of title swapping out in a few different ways.

You are asking what makes this modern themed collection Postmodernism? The mixing of past and present.

Vincent van Gogh farm fields placed in The British Museum skylight. You will find some brutally hard political statements in the collection as thought provoking. And you will find some very beautiful artwork.

The image just below is not a van Gogh derivative work. The image leads to a Vincent van Gogh derivative image. These next two are sister pieces as you will see.

As you look above at the abstract, do you see the tonal quality? As a Post Modern artist I am color agnostic. Postmodernism does not really have a color theory. I made up a few color theories going image to image. Tonal quality mattered to me.

In many of my works I reiterate the structure of a composition. This is one of those occasions. I would be very happy if you commented below on this image. Always engaging with my collectors, I want to know your thoughts.

This is a very bright image. Cheery. Would Vincent, the painter, use digital tools? The fact of the matter Vincent was as experimental an artist as has ever lived.

Conclusion

These are remarkable modernizations. I have not rested on my laurels. Aesthetically the images are not van Gogh’s. The results are truly my own. In the arts this is a very bold position to take.

What I have laid out for you as the reader was light entertainment. You can see the complexities run far deeper. Postmodernism was theorized before computer art came into its own. My ideas and applications are very unique.

My apologies to you. As an artist there is a struggle to make a living. Tooting my own horn is the way to get honestly heard. If you see a work of art you truly are interested in please shop me.

Thank you for reading my writings.

Click on any of my images you fancy to see the image sales page on my website (does not apply to the cover image at the top).

Question: Is the modernization of Vincent van Gogh’s artwork a good idea? As you scroll through the images, you will see I have gone well beyond just modernizing Vincent’s artwork.