«Van Gogh Dreams»

In December 1888, in Arles, Vincent van Gogh cut off part of his left ear. Weeks later, in January 1889, he painted himself with a bandage over it and a pipe in his mouth. That story is the starting point of this Van Gogh pop art painting.

A young woman stands side-on against a black wall and turns her face to you, hair pulled back, with gold hoops and a heavy chain at her neck. Her face is cut by a strip that slides sideways across her mouth, and small black bars sit on her forehead and cheek. Her white top and sleeve are full of Van Gogh. That self-portrait with the bandaged ear and the pipe sits on her shoulder. A bunch of sunflowers grows out of her chest, an almond branch in blossom covers her forearm, and a swirling Starry Night wraps around the wrist. A small ear hangs at the bottom of her brown leather handbag. In the top right corner there is a tiny painting of worn boots.

Blocks of red, cyan, yellow, pink and blue stand on the left, a quiet reference to Mondrian and his Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow from 1930. The black background is textured, with raised lines like cracks.

I wanted Van Gogh to be worn like a fashion label, which is what happens to him in gift shops and on tote bags. The bag and the jewellery are painted with care, and the face still looks glitched. I think of this Van Gogh pop art painting as a portrait of fame. As original pop art for sale it is aimed at rooms with something to say, so it works as art for restaurants that want a conversation piece, or for a gallery-style hallway.

Most of my original paintings are already in private collections, but I paint originals to order in any size. To ask about this one, message me on Instagram or by email. A hand-finished lithograph of this work also exists, and you can order it through Instagram or email.