A brand-new retrospective of bipolar genius Vincent Van Gogh opened this week at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Van Gogh’s Bedrooms” deconstructs his masterpiece The Bedroom, as well as reunites the three slightly different canvasses the artist created.
After water damage threatened the life of the first version of The Bedroom, Vincent Van Gogh created two more, with minor adjustments. The second, painted while the artist was a self-admitted patient at the insane asylum in Saint Rémy, is part of the Art Institute’s collection, and is significantly more colorful than the others. The smaller, third incarnation, a gift to his mother and sister, resides at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris. Though not as iconic as The Starry Night, The Bedroom is the artist’s favorite of his own works. Van Gogh captured his sleep sanctuary with his uncanny bold brushwork. He painted the first canvas after spending two and a half days in bed, waking up, and feeling inspired.
Seeing the three paintings side by side, it becomes clear that this was an artist who yearned for a sense of home and hearth.
In a way, Van Gogh never really felt at home: He moved about like a vagabond, living in 37 different residences throughout his lifetime – everywhere from Paris, London, and The Hague to various small towns throughout Europe, sometimes for a few weeks, other times for years. He never owned a home, always renting.
Vincent Van Gogh – Self Portrait (1889)
The exhibit begins with an exploration of Van Gogh’s early works, many of which were depictions of home, a motif — ranging from cottages to birds’ nest — that would be found throughout the artist’s career. His color palette during this time was also more subdued than later on.
The centerpiece Bedroom (1888, 1889, 1889) canvasses are depictions of Van Gogh’s chambre privé at the “Yellow House” in Arles, in the south of France, where Van Gogh finally settled down, with dreams of building an artist colony with post-Impressionist painter and friend Paul Gauguin. Here, Van Gogh painted some of his most celebrated works, including the sunflower series and views of the countryside. He invited Gauguin to stay with him in the house, but Gauguin only spent nine weeks there.
During that brief period, the infamous ear-cutting incident happened — an undeniable sign of the extent of his mental illness.
According to the exhibit, neighbors at the Yellow House referred to Van Gogh as “The Red Madman,” on account of his hair color and wild behavior. Van Gogh’s bipolar disorder would still be undiagnosed today if it weren’t for the research of Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, the author of An Unquiet Mind and — manic-depressive herself — the definitive expert on all things bipolar.
Jamison, who painstakingly researched all of Van Gogh’s correspondence and analyzed his works, believes unequivocally that Van Gogh was bipolar and writes about it extensively in her book Touched With Fire: Manic Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. Jamison notes that the director of the asylum at St. Rémy diagnosed him as suffering from “acute mania with hallucinations of sight and hearing.”
When he died in 1890 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 37, Van Gogh left behind an impressive body of work – 900 paintings. He had sold only sold one: The Red Vineyard (1890).
He died the proverbial starving artist, choosing to spend his money on paint instead of food.
“Van Gogh’s Bedrooms” is a fascinating exploration of the intricacies and influence of one painting and its three incarnations. It’s well worth seeing for anyone who enjoys modern art.
The exhibit is open every day through May 10 at The Art Institute of Chicago – 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL. Museum admission is $35 for adults, $29 for students, and $20 for Chicago residents). Special exhibition tickets cost an extra $5.
One of the originals of The Bedroom – found at the Art Institute of Chicago can be viewed here.
View some bonus images from the exhibit below…
Hospital at Saint Rémy (1889)
Vincent Van Gogh – The Poet’s Garden (1888)
Vincent Van Gogh – Parisian Novels (1887)
