PROGRAMME NOTES VINCENT VAN GOGH A NEW WAY OF SEEING
A note from Executive Producer use an actor to play Van Gogh. How he found Jamie de and Co-Writer Phil Grabsky Courcey is still something of a mystery to me because without a beard he doesn’t immediately resemble There are few artists with as fascinating a life story as Vincent…but judge for yourself how he looks in the Vincent van Gogh. He didn’t start painting until he was film. We are normally cautious about using actors and 27 and then within ten years he was dead – shot by his reconstructions in our films but I must say I think the use own hand in a wheat field that he had been painting of Jamie really adds to the emotional punch and insight. that very day. This intense Dutchman – failed preacher, Enjoy the film! failed teacher – has become one of the greatest and Foundation). van Gogh (Vincent s16V/1962 F344 Vincent Self-Portrait with Grey van Gogh Felt Hat, 1887 Paris. Van Amsterdam Museum, Gogh most popular artists of all time – and one of the most influential. Having had little luck selling his paintings during his lifetime, much of his work wound up in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, today one of the world’s most visited galleries.
When we heard that the museum was intending to re- hang their entire collection – partly to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Van Gogh’s death – our interest was aroused and director David Bickerstaff and I flew out to discover more. Whereas in the past the museum had kept Van Gogh on three floors and other artists on the fourth, the curators had now decided that they wanted to present a more accurate reflection of Van Gogh’s biography by interweaving his work with that of his contemporaries. As I said, Van Gogh is a popular artist and the museum had 800 (!) proposals for projects to wade through but we managed to persuade them and for the next year or so we worked very closely with the entire institution – not least its wonderful staff and curators – to make this film. They offered us complete and unprecedented access to their treasures and I have to say it was an absolute joy. DIRECTED BY DAVID BICKERSTAFF David then travelled in the Netherlands, Belgium, UK and France – retracing Vincent’s footsteps. I think one PRODUCED BY PHIL GRABSKY of David’s smartest suggestions was, on this occasion, to
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Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) Gogh van (Vincent Amsterdam Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Sunflowers, 1889 Arles © Arles Sunflowers, 1889 Museum, (1853-1890), VincentGogh Gogh van Van FEATURED WORKS
THE POTATO EATERS, 1885
SELF-PORTRAIT WITH GREY FELT HAT, 1887
IN THE CAFÉ: AGOSTINA SEGATORI IN LE TAMBOURIN, 1887
THE YELLOW HOUSE (‘The Street’), 1888
SUNFLOWERS, 1889
ALMOND BLOSSOM, 1890
EXHIBITION ON SCREEN is produced and distributed by award-winning documentary film-makers Seventh Art Productions. It has been making films on art, music and history for over 35 years and in that time it has produced almost 200 titles. Most are available to download or purchase on DVD from its website: www.seventh-art.com/shop