Critical Expressive

Vincent Van Gogh was born in Brabant, Holland in 1853. His ‘bizarre’ sense of colour disallowed his access to any art school. It was however this unique ‘impressionism’ that made his work so popular and valuable to this very day. Van Gogh moved to Paris later on in his life to join his brother Theo. Theo and Van Gogh were always close friends; he always encouraged and inspired him. It was in Paris that Van Gogh …

…helps certify Mach’s Scottish roots. I think the name of the portrait also helps emphasize that these ‘roots’ are in fact ‘Close to the Bone’. Mach then sets the skull alight to convey the true colour of the skull. It also helps bring out other facial features that are not as recognizable on the previous sculpture. The flames of the skull help illuminate the dark background of the portrait, to a bright colourful one.