MAKING OF THE "POST-IMPRESSIONISM"

Delve into the mind of Beltracchi and the Old Masters
discover the techniques used to create these masterpieces from the POST-IMPRESSIONISM era

For the Vincent van Gogh Series, Beltracchi channels the techniques of Vincent van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist style as he recreates the most expensive painting in the world, ‘Salvator Mundi’. Like Vincent van Gogh, Beltracchi paints oil on canvas, working alla prima applying the paint wet-on-wet in a single application in order to make the light that falls across the painting reflect in a particularly noticeable way. Van Gogh employed this technique extensively for expressive purposes. Further still, to mimic Vincent van Gogh’s use of vibrant colours, Beltracchi uses complementary colours such as blue and orange to bring the artwork to life.

Today we know Vincent van Gogh to be one of the most famed and celebrated artists, however, he was not commercially successful during his lifetime. His misfortune is largely attributed to his lifelong struggle with a variety of mental health issues. Since mental health issues were not widely recognized, researched, or understood in the late 19th century, with very few treatments available, Vincent van Gogh eventually succumbed to his disease and committed suicide.

The boldness in Vincent van Gogh’s style, and use of strong, vivid colors stand in direct contrast to his inner turmoil. Wolfgang Beltracchi acknowledges and embraces the darker side of Vincent van Gogh’s life; in the sphere held by ‘Salvator Mundi’, Wolfgang Beltracchi paints a series of portraits of Vincent van Gogh that showcases his state of distress. Additionally, a portrait of Beltracchi in the style of Vincent van Gogh is painted in the sphere.