One of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings ‘Fishing Net menders in the Dunes’ was recently sold for 8.27 million dollars (approximately Rs 55 crores) in Paris. The painting that depicts few peasant women working under a cloudy sky is one of the first painting by Gogh to be auctioned in France for more than 20 years. It is believed that the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter was inspired by the countryside around Hague, Netherlands and that reflected in his work. Gogh spent time in the countryside for a short period but it evidently left an impression on him.
The painting that was sold on Monday (June 5) was not a regular phenomenon. Paintings by Dutch impressionist resurface on the international market only twice or thrice a year. And while the price paid for the painting might seem humongous, it is not a lot compared to the price Leonardo da Vinci’s painting ‘Salvator Mundi’ —’a 15th century portrait of Christ had fetched. Vinci’s said painting was sold for a record 450 million dollars (approximately a little more than Rs 30 billion).
Gogh, who is often considered as one of the most celebrated and gifted figures was extremely prolific and had created about 2,100 artworks. This includes around 860 oil paintings. His works frequently dealt with landscapes, self-portrait among others. Bold colours, dramatic, expressive and lavish expressive brushwork are considered to be quintessentially his style. ‘Starry Nights’, painted in 1889, remains one of his most celebrated works.
Recently a film on the painter, titled Loving Vincent was released in 2017. An animated autobiographical film, it shed light on the painter’s life and the circumstances that surrounded his death.