|
Olive Trees With Yellow Sky and Sun |
|
|
"Art and sight are closely intertwined. Painting is a visual medium that
requires both the artist and the observer to use their visual sense to
fully appreciate the execution and development of a composition....
.....In this first instalment of a mini-series looking into the subject of ‘Vision and Art’ I would like to talk about the ‘yellow vision’ of Vincent van Gogh.
‘Xanthopsia’,
that is, an overriding yellow bias in vision, can be provoked by many
disorders other than the reddish-brown filter of nuclear sclerosis,
which most famously affected Monet.
Poisoning by a large
number of drugs, including santonin, digitalis, phenacetin, ether,
chromic and picric acids, and even snake venom have been associated with
xanthopsia....
...Whatever van Gogh’s exact diagnosis may have been, it is highly likely
that after admission to the asylum at Saint-Rémy in 1889, his physician,
Dr Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, prescribed digitalis, which is why medical
historiography strongly supports the hypothesis of van Gogh having
suffered from digitalis-induced xanthopsia. In Portrait of Dr Gachet, 1890, the foxglove plant is presented in front of Dr Gachet; digitalis is extracted from foxglove plants." -from
Vincent van Gogh’s Yellow Vision, Anna Gruene, British Journal of General PracticeJul 2013,63(612)370-371
It's an unfortunate fact that artists have poisoned themselves throughout history. Saturnism, or lead poisoning, was also known as painter's madness. Excavation of Caravaggio's bones and subsequent analysis showed high levels of lead, which was at least a contributing factor if not the direct cause of his death. Other poisons frequently found among pigments in the past were arsenic (my letter A post) and what I call the 3Cs - cadmium, cobalt and copper.
Some poisons (and medications) can cause changes and disturbances in vision. Thallium, for instance, causes abnormal color vision and double vision.
Van Gogh suffered from so many symptoms and maladies, both psychological and physical, that it would be difficult to prove any beyond the shadow of a doubt. However, I thought this article made an interesting case for digitalis (derived from the poisonous foxglove) as a causative agent for Van Gogh's "Yellow Period".
Not only did it kill him, it affected the coloring of his paintings. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was an interesting theory as well!
DeleteProbably the most fascinating theme I've stumbled on! I have to admit that I don't know much about Van Gogh's medical history, but it's fascinating that the "treatment" affected him visually.
ReplyDeleteTheCapillary
Dropping by from the A to Z Challenge
http://thecapillary.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you! I really enjoyed doing the research for this theme. :)
DeleteAnd there is one writer who is reputed to have poisoned himself with oodles of coffee.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! This is amazing information. I simply assumed the artist must 'like' that particular colour.. I must share it with my artist friend..
ReplyDeleteSweet! Killed by color!
ReplyDeletePoor Van Gogh. He definitely was a couple of cookies short of a dozen. He did create some amazing pictures though.
play bazaar
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to be the sexiest girl or the most talented person to have the X factor. X factor is something you are born with that is your own. And the moment that you realize how to tap into that quality that you have within, and how to bring that individuality out of yourself, that is when you discover the X factor.
visit our site sattaking