Here We Gogh

Recently, I went to see a Van Gogh exhibit here in Cincinnati.  I’m not overly familiar with his work, but have long been an admirer of “Starry Nights” and other well known pieces like “Bedroom in Arles”.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from this exhibit as it was advertised to be an “immersive experience”, which sounded like an interesting and potentially more stimulating way to view art than your typical museum tour.  Turns out, the immersive part of the experience was quite cool.  It allowed for a more intimate connection with both the art and the inner workings of Van Gogh’s mind.  I was well aware that he’d cut off his left ear, but I didn’t know the full scope of his mental illness.  I learned that the only thing more profound than his artistry was the darkness that informed it.

The brilliance of Van Gogh’s work is evident in the vibrant images he created, but, to me, his greatest talent was transforming the darkness of his inner world into light and life giving energy in the outer world.  His achievement in that realm is a testament to the bridge between joy and sorrow; that they are connected, supportive of one another, and equally integral to the human experience.  In therapy, I talk about the paradox between opposing feelings as “both and”; that two or more feelings can be true at the same time.  So often people hold tightly to their pain and don’t leave room for relief or hope or, the opposite: they experience joy and let go of it as soon as something uncomfortable creeps in.  Black or white thinking has its place (i.e. emergency situations), but approaching life with an “either or” mindset is the equivalent of living in a world without bridges.  We’d be stuck.  Van Gogh was not stuck.  His art is a reminder that no matter how much darkness resides inside us or in the world around us, the bridge to something brighter is only as far away as we make it.