A Gratitude Hard to Name | Threepenny Review - Summer 2001

A Gratitude Hard to Name - John Berger

If I am like most Americans, then most Americans know a handful of things about Vincent Van Gogh.  We know about the ear.  We have a superficial knowledge of the look of a Van Gogh painting.  We call out his name whenever we see the starry night image.  And those of us of a certain age know the song Vincent by Don McLean, a song that I listened to a lot as a kid, a song that came to mind as I read this love letter to the artist by famed art critic and writer John Berger.

In very few words, Mr. Berger covers the gist of the artist's fervid brush stroke and ink line.  Vincent was a lover, just as Don McLean's song declares.  He could not ridicule or exalt his subjects.  I visited a site dedicated to all of works of Van Gogh while I read this essay.  Doing so conflated Mr. Berger's words with the images to, I believe, raise my level of experience of the artist.  The critic helps us see differently, and he does so here.

Consider this image of two peasants digging up potatoes.  Most would glance at it, admire the colors, maybe, and then quickly move on.  Under the guidance of John Berger, we see agriculture, the melding of the energy of man with the energy of the earth.  They share contour and color.  Vincent meant us to see it this way, I'm certain (or at least convinced by the eloquence of this essay.)

So, in this case, I feel gratitude to you Mr. Berger.  I was skeptical at first, but now I am a believer.  Should I watch Lust for Life or will that ruin my mood?