Chen Danqing once described Van Gogh as "a very kind-hearted madman." What moved him most was Van Gogh's innocence and simplicity. He has commented on Van Gogh on many occasions and in his books, and has also created a series of still-life paintings about "Van Gogh" in his works.
In 1890, Vincent van Gogh, the tormented painter, created "Almond Blossom" for his newborn nephew while confined in the Saint-Rémy asylum in France. In the painting, the azure sky pours down like a divine decree, the almond branches stretch upwards like bones, long and tenacious, piercing the sky. The pure white petals fall like stars or freeze like tears. At this time, van Gogh was deeply trapped in mental distress, yet he poured a rare tranquility onto the canvas - the tenacity of the almond blossoms blooming in early spring is both a tribute to new life and the artist's self-redemption.
During my trip to Europe with Chen Danqing in 2007, I saw the original painting of "Almond Blossom" for the first time. When I gazed at it, I noticed that each almond flower was in a different stage of blooming: the budding ones carried hope, the fully blooming ones were exuberant, and the fallen petals hung low - all were van Gogh's ultimate interpretation of the cycle of life. He abandoned the frenzied swirling brushstrokes of "The Starry Night" and instead delicately outlined the branches with restraint. In the Bible, the almond tree symbolizes "God's watchfulness", while in Eastern culture, it represents tenacious vitality in adversity. Those upward-reaching branches seem to pierce through the iron bars of the asylum, transforming into eternal vitality.
In a letter to Van Gogh, Theo wrote: "As we told you, we will name him after you. I pray that he will be as resolute and brave as you." A few months later, Van Gogh pulled the trigger, while the blossoms in the painting remained forever suspended in their full bloom. This extreme contrast allowed the most shattered soul to create the most complete solace; the briefest of blooms, ultimately became eternal due to the courage to face death. Even now, I still clearly remember standing before the painting for a long, long time, reluctant to leave...
Mr. Shan
Vincent van Gogh in Chen Danqing's Paintings
Chen Danqing once described Van Gogh as "a very kind-hearted madman." What moved him most was Van Gogh's innocence and simplicity. He has commented on Van Gogh on many occasions and in his books, and has also created a series of still-life paintings about "Van Gogh" in his works.
In 1890, Vincent van Gogh, the tormented painter, created "Almond Blossom" for his newborn nephew while confined in the Saint-Rémy asylum in France. In the painting, the azure sky pours down like a divine decree, the almond branches stretch upwards like bones, long and tenacious, piercing the sky. The pure white petals fall like stars or freeze like tears. At this time, van Gogh was deeply trapped in mental distress, yet he poured a rare tranquility onto the canvas - the tenacity of the almond blossoms blooming in early spring is both a tribute to new life and the artist's self-redemption.
During my trip to Europe with Chen Danqing in 2007, I saw the original painting of "Almond Blossom" for the first time. When I gazed at it, I noticed that each almond flower was in a different stage of blooming: the budding ones carried hope, the fully blooming ones were exuberant, and the fallen petals hung low - all were van Gogh's ultimate interpretation of the cycle of life. He abandoned the frenzied swirling brushstrokes of "The Starry Night" and instead delicately outlined the branches with restraint. In the Bible, the almond tree symbolizes "God's watchfulness", while in Eastern culture, it represents tenacious vitality in adversity. Those upward-reaching branches seem to pierce through the iron bars of the asylum, transforming into eternal vitality.
In a letter to Van Gogh, Theo wrote: "As we told you, we will name him after you. I pray that he will be as resolute and brave as you." A few months later, Van Gogh pulled the trigger, while the blossoms in the painting remained forever suspended in their full bloom. This extreme contrast allowed the most shattered soul to create the most complete solace; the briefest of blooms, ultimately became eternal due to the courage to face death. Even now, I still clearly remember standing before the painting for a long, long time, reluctant to leave...
陳丹青筆下的——梵高
陳丹青曾形容梵高：「他是心地非常善良的一個瘋子。」 在他眼中最打動他的，正是他那種純真與憨實。在多處場合及書中評論過梵高，在他筆下也創作過靜物「梵高」系列。
1890年，梵高這位飽受精神折磨的畫家在法國聖雷米精神病院的鐵窗內，為初生的侄子創作了《杏花》。畫中，湛藍天幕如神諭傾瀉，杏枝似骨骼般纖長而堅韌地刺向蒼穹，純白花瓣如星辰墜落，又像淚滴凝固。此時的梵高深陷精神困厄，卻在畫布上傾註了罕見的寧靜——杏花早春綻放的堅韌，既是對新生命的禮贊，也是藝術家的自我救贖。
2007年和丹青的歐洲之行，第一次見到這幅畫的原作，當我凝視這幅畫時，會發現每朵杏花都處於不同的綻放狀態：初綻的蓓蕾裹挾希望，盛放的花朵肆意盎然，雕零的花瓣悄然低垂——都是梵高對生命循環最極致的詮釋，他摒棄了《星月夜》中癲狂的漩渦筆觸，以克製勾勒枝條的靜美。 杏樹在《聖經》中象征「上帝的守望」，而在東方文化裏，它代表絕境中堅韌的生命力。那些向上攀升的枝椏，仿佛穿透了瘋人院的鐵柵，化作永恒的生機。
西奧在給梵高的信中寫道：「正如我們告訴你的，我們將以你的名字為他命名，我祈願他能像你一樣堅定和勇敢。」幾個月後，梵高扣動了扳機，而畫中杏花卻永遠懸停在盛放的瞬間。這種極致的反差，讓最破碎的靈魂，創造出最完整的慰藉；最短暫的綻放，終因向死而生的勇氣成為永恒。直至現在我還清晰地記得當年被定住在畫前許久許久，不舍離去......
7 months ago | [YT] | 0