Dutchmen take pride in their great artist Van Gogh. Someone says, it is possible for present Dutchmen to have no idea of their prime minister, but as to Van Gogh, it is absolutely impossible.
The Dutchmen prefer going to the gallery as much as to the church. If they visit a gallery less than once each week, they will be considered to be uneducated. Naturally, you should have a visit at the gallery when you come to Holland, while Van Gogh Gallery should be your first choice.
Factually, Van Gogh Gallery is a museum. Normally, it is very quiet in the city of Holland, and the bustling scene can hardly be captured even in stores. However, in Van Gogh Museum, visitors flock to flow waves. Van Gogh is a modern art master who enjoys a great reputation in the whole world. Although only having a lifespan of thirty-seven years and a real artistic career of ten years, he establishes a precedent in modern art.
When Van Gogh was alive, generally, the Dutchmen have no idea that there was a painter named Van Gogh in their country, because there are so many painters in Holland that the Dutch painting school has occupied a decisive position in western painting history. In his lifespan, Van Gogh has created more than two thousand valuable works while he only sold out one piece of painting to a Belgian in Brussels at the price of Franc 400. Although he is gifted with superb art, it has not brought him happiness. Wandering around without a fixed abode, he had lived in extreme poverty and finally died in Oise, France. Van Gogh did not win a name for himself until he died. Ironically, it was not the Dutchmen but a Germany lady who found the value of Van Gogh’s paintings and became a good judge of his talent. In my view, art is not so immortal as the appreciation and recognition of art while artists are not so great as anonymous ordinary people who have discovered these artists.
Without being discovered in Holland when he was alive, Van Gogh has played a role as tragic as a hero who has not being ratified the title until his death. Another tragedy took place in Holland because of Van Gogh. Someone described that the Dutchmen in front of Van Gogh are nothing but a crowd of blind with eyes but no eyesight, while Van Gogh in front of the Dutchmen are nothing but a madman who has become lonely because of lack of appreciation.
Van Gogh’s tragedy has educated the Dutchmen, so the Dutchmen in the present suffer from guilty for Van Gogh, which also increases their respect and admire to Van Gogh. In Amsterdam, they have built up the most beautiful museum to memorize, demonstrate and study Van Gogh. Of course, the Dutch government also has learned from Van Gogh’s tragedy and proposed that artists should enjoy more cares, respects, understanding and tolerance. It also has promised that a second earthed and deserted Van Gogh will never be appearring in the history of Holland.
