“Still, a great deal of light falls on everything.”
~ Vincent van Gogh, in his “Letter to Theo van Gogh, The Hague, c. 10 October 1882“
Notes:
- Painting: Sunflowers, 1888 by Vincent Van Gogh. Quote via bradplumer
- Post Title & Inspiration: Aldous Huxley: “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.”
Live & Learn 
I stood in front of this painting six days ago, together with others. 😊
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Wow. No kidding. That must have been something.
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It was. It’s at the National Gallery in London. But I suspect there are two. Not sure where the other one is.
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According to this, there were 5 in a series.
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0031V1962?v=1
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Such a treat for you. I like your blog.
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It was, thank you.
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Now that’s interesting. Didn’t know there were that many. Been looking at your photo again. The one I saw seemed to have more of a green tinge to it. Less yellow, but then that could have been the light.
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His paintings were awesome, out of this world and such a wonderful quote.
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so true….
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Yes.
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no matter what we do or don’t do, the light continues. we have to remember that when it’s dark. love this painting
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That’s it Beth.
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Love his wisdom and work 👏✨
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Me too Karen.
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Van Gogh’s paintings often gave me food for thought. An artist as haunted and temperamental as he, painting so many ‘explosions/bursts of sheer joy and light’, occupied me many times. He was also clever in a probably unconscious way because, Who doesn’t love sunflowers…. so everybody ever looking at them is automatically in love with their painter!
When I was a child, my (poor) parents bought the sunflowers, and two further prints. My dad who was (amongst many other talents) carpenter & furniture maker, made frames for them and those pictures accompanied my childhood as well as wakening an interest in art….
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Such beauty from such an anguished mind….
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Ever notice how often that happens?
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Yes, Dale, I have. As an art historian, it seemed I was studying tortured souls at every turn….😔
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So then, I’m full of anguished mind. Where’s my beauty?
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In your words, Dale! You wield your pen/keyboard like a brush and the results are magical….
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Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Lightly, ever so lightly … “Still, a great deal of light falls on everything.”
~ Vincent van Gogh.’
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Even in the darkest times there is enough light. ☀️
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And that is the punch line Val.
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Van Gogh is the man!!!!!!
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He is!
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This is a classic – the many warm colours used in perfect combination.
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Timeless magic. Love it too.
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This is interesting: https://www.vincentvangogh.org/sunflowers.jsp
I hope everyone has an opportunity to see a group of Sunflowers in their lifetime…and I hope everyone loves Sunflowers! To me they are so eternally beautiful and cheerful…energizing!
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They are!
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Sunflowers. My favourite.
And yes, a great deal of light does fall on everything, sometimes we just can’t see it.
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Sometimes, many times.
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Truth.
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@ Kiki so glad your parents had bright art work from a masterful painter for you to gaze at…our library used to lend paintings, garden tools, puppets and other practical items…
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Seeing his love and various paintings of sunflowers always opens my heart to grief and deep appreciation. I grew up with a book my mother found of his letters to Theo–so glad he responded as much as he did to Vincent! Love the excerpt you included…here’s part:
“To tell you the truth, I couldn’t spare either the old- or the new-fashioned manner. Too many beautiful things have been done too unusually well for me to prefer one to the other systematically.” He knew!
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awww, so good. Thanks for sharing Valerie.
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