Shane Guffogg: Self-Portraits, Part 2
(conversation between Victoria Chapman and Shane Guffogg continues)

We continue the dialogue by exploring the work of Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and Paul Cezanne. We share the developments of why these artists made it their sole purpose to create art.

VC: Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853 – 1890) was an artist whose personal history and legacy is just as famous as his paintings. The son of a pastor, Vincent grew up with core religious and spiritual beliefs that followed him throughout his turbulent life. Floating from one occupation to another, he worked as an art dealer, teacher, missionary and finally found his true calling as an artist. How do you think this played out in van Gogh's art?

Shane Guffogg: That is an interesting question. On one hand, the two occupations of a missionary (or preacher) and an art dealer are polar opposites. However, what would happen if the two were merged into one? Art and religion? That outcome is spirituality, and in van Gogh's case, is manifested through the act of seeing, observing, and ultimately translating his emotional experiences through paint. His mature work reveals his love of the beauty he sees in nature. His objective, I think, was to convince his viewer of the spirit and presence of God. That knowledge or message could create a spiritual awakening, setting his audience on a path of enlightenment. That is the work of a true missionary!