What would the great masterpieces look like if they were remade by Van Gogh?

About Vincent Van Gogh everything has been said and if possible even more. I will therefore not try to report here other considerations on his extravagant life or reflections on the psyche of one of the greatest world exponents of painting, but I think it may be interesting to create a little deepening on Vincent Van Gogh copyist. An art form backbone in the artistic growth of any painter that I personally find as fascinating as the most original works. Copying a painting by bringing the characteristics of one's own style into the world created by another individual: a crossroads of parallel universes that only in this way can touch each other.

As we know Van Gogh in his life came into contact with some of the greatest painters of the time and the past, from Emile Bernard to Jean Francois Millet or the great Rembrandt.From the latter he copied the resurrection of Lazarus and from each of them, as every great man knows how to do, he knew how to extrapolate precious teachings.

Let's take as a first example The Resurrection of Lazarus, a masterpiece by Caravaggio dated 1609, revisited by Rembrandt in 1630 (left picture) revisited about 250 years later by Van Gogh (right picture).

The Resurrection of Lazarus - photo credit "Barnebys Magazine"

Van Gogh revisits the entire canvas transforming the gloomy realistic scene into an explosion of luster that seems to come from a different world. The scene is totally distorted and looking at the comparison you can clearly guess the different feelings felt.

Very similar is the example of the "Pity" of Eugene Delacriox (left picture) where in addition to the characteristic brushstrokes and the usual brighter colors it seems to us again evident the difference in the points of view of the two artists. Like Van Gogh (right picture) you seem to see a world made of something more alive than what we are used to seeing every day.

Pity - photo credit "Barnebys Magazine"

As a final example I would like to bring "The Courtesan" of Keisai Eisen (left picture) an exponent of Japonism to which Van Gogh, like most of the French art salons of the 800s, is passionate. The painting is re-proposed by the Dutch painter (right picture) on a natural background, which brings us back to the unconditional love for that life that exists only far from the traffic of the cities and that Van Gogh was able to transform into fantastic daydreams. And again he does not know how not to be tempted by the vivacity of these colors that will accompany him throughout his existence, and beyond.

The Courtesan - photo credit "Barnebys Magazine"

Now that these artistic comparisons are very clear to our eyes, it is in my opinion much easier to recognize the greatness of Vincent Van Gogh. It becomes evident his different way of capturing the moments of this world and even if copying was obviously a way to improve himself and acquire new techniques in Van Gogh more than in anyone else the

immaterial vision of life seems immutable, that ability to grasp the sensations experienced and transform them on the canvas with unspeakable naturalness, giving to the landscapes, but also to the portraits, that vitality that they enjoy daily but that the human eye commonly cannot conceive.

This was therefore the great gift of Van Gogh, who did not reside so much in his hand as in his eye, and it does not matter if in life he was not understood, if he did not inherit riches and fame from his works, as long as he could see the true soul of this world he was able to see beyond the misfortunes and infamy of life, thus learning a truth that we may not know.