Vincent van Gogh - The Power of Art

Today Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch painter, is one of the world's most-beloved artists. During his lifetime, however, people did not buy his paintings. 

He could never figure-out why people didn't react more favorably to his work. According to Ingo F. Walther, in his book Van Gogh, Vincent once said:

I can't change the fact that my paintings don't sell.  But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.  (Walther, at page 89.)

In this clip, from a 2006 BBC documentary on Vincent - entitled Simon Schama's Power of Art:  Van Gogh - we investigate what may have been going on with this brilliant artist who was absolutely right about the true value of his paintings. 

Andy Serkis - who plays Smeagol / Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and in The Hobbitt - portrays Vincent van Gogh in this episode.

Today, in addition to their huge value in the marketplace, Vincent's works are displayed in museums throughout the world. The most-notable - where many of his awesome works are available in one place - is the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

As curators at the Van Gogh tell us:

Step into Van Gogh's world.

Discover the world’s largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, featuring masterpieces such as Almond Blossom, Sunflowers and The Bedroom.

During 2015, the works on display, in Amsterdam, were even more exciting than usual.

An exhibition, featuring major works by van Gogh and Edvard Munch, were displayed side-by-side. In this way, we could see for ourselves how influential Vincent was, even on other artists as famous as Munch (who created "The Scream") and once said, of van Gogh:

During his short life, Van Gogh did not allow his flame to go out. Fire and embers were his brushes during the few years of his life, whilst he burned out for his art. I had thought and desired, like he, not to allow my flame to become extinguished and with burning brush to paint until the end.