I feel a special connection to Van Gogh’s art. The vibrancy the complementary colors as well as the detached-from-reality aspect of his canvasses strikes a chord with me. And when I look at many of his paintings at this exhibit, it reminds me of the psychotic state I was in during my 2007 meltdown. Colors pulsating. Off-kilter perspective. Vibrating lines. Oscillation.
Drip. Drip. Drip. SPLAT. Drip. Drip. SLATHER. Drip. Drip. SPLAT. That’s the sound of Jackson Pollock, stick in hand in a barn-turned-studio on Long Island, drenching his canvas with paint for his latest masterpiece. We’ve all seen his iconic, messy paintings, but what about the man behind the mess?
Over time, Van Gogh was hospitalized at least five times for manic-depressive breakdowns. Friends and various artists described him as eccentric, disturbed, terrifying, on the verge of a breakdown, extremely difficult, obstinate and as a heavy drinker.
