WHY I LOVE VINCENT VAN GOGH

Vincent van Gogh, Self Portrait in Straw Hat

One of the first artists I came to know was Vincent van Gogh. Because I lived in Holland as a child at the impressionable (no pun intended) age of thirteen and saw his work in person I really bonded with it.
Then in high school I read Irving Stone's biography of van Gogh, Lust for Life.  I was hooked from then on.  I love the thick paint and emotional brush strokes.  I love seeing the paintings in real life up close and feeling as if I can see him applying the paint with great energy and passion.  I am still drawn to impressionist art. 

VIncent van Gogh, Starry Night

Here is a story of a basketball coach whose life was changed by Vincent van Gogh:

Coach Richard “Digger” Phelps, Notre Dame Basketball coach 1971 – 1991

“Winning is Not the Only Thing”, Parade Magazine (10 July 1983)

I had a very narrow vision of the world, and when I became a basketball coach, I guess my vision became even narrower. I lived basketball 365 days a year. When I became a basketball coach at Notre Dame, I thought I had gone to heaven. Then, in 1975, I took my first trip to Europe. It’s hard to explain the impact, but all of a sudden, I saw another world. I went to museums – in Paris, London, Amsterdam – and I was overwhelmed by what I saw. I couldn’t absorb all of the painters, so I fell in love with van Gogh. I studied his art. I studied his life, his struggles, his sorrows. I stopped being consumed by basketball. The change was visible. I took down the plaques and trophies in my office and I put up paintings. I switched off the hard rock music and tuned in to classical. I even gave up the colorful sports jackets that had become my trademark and bought three-piece suits. I still care very much about basketball. I still want to win. But there are so many other things in the world, so many things just as important, more important. Give me a choice now between winning the NCAA championship – for the first time in my career – and getting a van Gogh for my wall, and I’m going to have to do some very heavy thinking.