This educational documentary focuses on Helene Kröller-Müller and her collection of Vincent Van Gogh art. The Italian documentary, produced by Giovanni Piscaglia, showcases her collection in a museum dedicated to her in the Netherlands. The museum opened in 1938, where some, if not all, of his masterpieces, are arrayed. As portrayed in the early part of this documentary, Helene and Vincent were two souls looking for an absolute kind of faith that couldn’t exist in real life. They both found their spiritual dimensions in the paintings.
It is a beautiful tribute from Helene. We explore his life and work through her eyes as his most devoted admirer and owner of the largest private collection of his artwork. Her museum showcases 85 drawings and 40 paintings that were from a collection in Italy that were brought to the Kröller-Müller Museum in Holland.
Piscaglia did not extensively discuss Van Gogh’s psychological troubles as he chose to focus more on his craft and how he developed his technique over the years. The documentary interviews Van Gogh experts who portray feelings of deep reverence and how each one of them gained something from Van Gogh’s work.
One says that he was a radical person who went to the extreme to make his paintings. Another says that to be a good painter, you have to be a good craftsman. And since Van Gogh wanted to give expression to his work, he portrayed life as it is while still capturing the human essence.
He followed the standard way of painting, but that was until he took a trip to Paris and rekindled his love for art when he discovered color. He perceived color as having a “psychological and moral weight," as exemplified in the reds and greens of The Night Café, a work where he wanted to express the passions of humanity. However, he eventually realized that the search for an eternal principle leads one too far and too deep where one can lose themselves.
What subject or college majors would benefit from the content covered in this film?
Van Gogh: Of Wheat Fields and Clouded Skies is suitable for art majors. They can learn that experimentation leads to self-discovery and embracing one’s individuality.
What schools or colleges is this documentary film appropriate for?
This documentary is appropriate for art institutes. It can be used by both professors and students to show them that art is an expression of oneself and that one should never give up their dream.