Simon Schama's Power of Art - Season 1 - Eps 6: Van Gogh
Born in Groot-Zundert, The Netherlands, Van Gogh spent his early life as an art dealer, teacher and preacher in England, Holland and Belgium. His period as an artist began in 1881 when he chose to study art in Brussels, starting with watercolours and moving quickly on to oils. The French countryside was a major influence on his life and his early work was dominated by sombre, earthy colours depicting peasant workers, the most famous of which is The Potato Eaters, 1885. It was during Van Gogh's studies in Paris (1886-8) that he developed the individual style of brushwork and use of colour that made his name. In 1888 he moved to Arles where the Provençal landscape provided his best-known subject matter. However, it also marked the start of his mental crisis following an argument with his contemporary Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh was committed to a mental asylum in 1889 where he continued to paint, but he committed suicide in 1890.
About Simon Schama's Power of Art
Title: Simon Schama's Power of Art
First Air Date: 2006-10-19
Last Air Date: 2006-12-07
Status: Ended
Rating: 8.2/10 (from 16 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 2
Total Episodes: 8
Network: BBC Two
Genres: Documentary
Production Companies: Unknown
Synopsis
Documentary series in which historian Simon Schama recounts the story of eight moments of high drama in the making of eight artistic masterpieces.
Cast
Simon Schama
