Looking at the painting Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh IV by Francis Bacon makes one realize that there is a world where people are in isolation and despair. The painting inspired by the idea of Van Gogh as a ‘lonely genius’ is very strong in provoking a sense of melancholy in the viewer. There are a lot of ‘things’ illustrated in the artwork and all those things are typical of our lives as humans. The elements include animate and inanimate objects which are subject to philosophical hermeneutic analysis.
The hazy style of painting is also a remarkable tool in adding special effects in Bacon’s Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh IV. Why is the artwork a classic and not just trendy? In order for a work to be considered classic, it must have certain characteristics that are not typical of paintings we normally see. Bacon’s Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh IV suffices this requirement. From the style to the objects in the painting, the artist poured his talent in putting concrete emotions and human qualities into a portrait and vice versa.
Philosophical hermeneutics by Heidegger views artworks as coexistent with its creator which means ‘each influence the other. ’ The painter was inspired by the painting and that the painting was Bacon’s creation. The artwork is a classic masterpiece and is not influenced by concerns of the mainstream society which are, of course, the trends. How does the artwork reveal or awaken a world that we usually ignore? The artwork was inspired by the life of the painter Vincent van Gogh who epitomized the idea of a misunderstood artist whom the mainstream society had left.
The idea of Van Gogh as a lonely genius is clearly revealed in this painting together with the emotions of isolation and despair which he felt as the society does not understand or accept him. The dark shadows provoke a sense of melancholy as one delves into the life of the misunderstood artist, Van Gogh, as illustrated from Bacon’s point of view. The idea is, there are people like Van Gogh who experience isolation and despair. Many of us ignore this idea because we don’t want to experience it. This was contained in the artwork. Why is the awakened world different and yet also familiar?
The humanistic qualities in Bacon’s painting are despair and isolation. The ignored world belongs of people in despair and isolation was awakened in a portrait of Van Gogh. The ignored world maybe different because it contains the human qualities that we often dislike. People like Van Gogh lived in isolation since the society cannot appreciate their contributions. However, this difference is not a reason for disregard. Still, we are familiar with it because we experience it ourselves. How many times do we experience being isolated?
It doesn’t make any difference at all because we also live in this isolated planet with people desperately trying to know our purpose in this universe. Van Gogh was never alone. How is the art speaking directly to you as individual and yet also to others? The first thing that gets noticed in any artwork is the uniqueness of it. Meaning, it grabs attention of the viewers. Bacon’s Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh IV is unique and is a classic piece of art. This however, does not necessarily mean that the art is speaking directly about what it is or is not. In the case of Bacon’s artwork, first impression lasts.
The picture of a solitary man living in despair and isolation is reflected on it. It carries the message that there are people in this planet who are misunderstood by the society. Van Gogh epitomizes this idea. The dark shadows and the hazy style also add a gloomy effect on the painting. Thus, the artwork speaks. Philosophy in the Artwork The philosophy in this painting is that this world contains a world of misunderstood people who experience isolation and despair. The painting speaks directly through the hazy and shadowy illustration of a man known to be Vincent van Gogh.
Most people are afraid of being isolated from the society and normally try to convince the society that they belong to it. This means conforming to the standards set by the society the person wants to join. However, there are people like Van Gogh who sees the edges of right and wrong. Bacon’s work was one that communicates to the viewers to inform us about the world where these people belong. In Heidegger’s The Origin of the Work of Art, he said that “the truth of an entity has set itself to work… In the vicinity of the work, we were suddenly somewhere else than we usually tend to be.
” Bacon’s work of art considers a truth that we all must know about. There is a world where people are misunderstood by the society and that they live in isolation and despair. We have just visited it.
Work Cited:
Wortham, S. , ‘Van Gogh’s Shoes, or, does the university have two left feet? ’, Available at http://culturemachine. tees. ac. uk/Cmach/Backissues/j001/articles/art_wort. htm Clarke, J. B. 1999, “Hermeneutic analysis: a qualitative decision trail. ” International Journal of Nursing Studies, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 363-369.Heidegger, M. 1976, “The Origin of the Work of Art” in Philosophies of Art and Beauty: Selected Readings in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger, ed. A. Hofstadter and R. Kuhns, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Quigley, T. R. 1996, “Summary of Heidegger’s ‘The Origin of the Work of Art’”, Available at http://homepage. newschool. edu/%7Equigleyt/vcs/heidegger-owasum. pdf. Teschner, G. , “The Humanities and Telecommunication,” [Online], Christopher Newport University, Available at http://www. bu. edu/wcp/Papers/Tech/TechTesc. htm