Van Gogh paintings have graced the walls of famous museums all over the world.  Today, Van Gogh paintings are seen almost everywhere.  This artist went from a small beginning, with only “The Red Vineyard” sold before his death, to world acclaim as a talented artist.  His works evolved from simple, real world representations to complex, impressionistic works.

In the early years, Van Gogh paintings were constructed with mud tone colors and straight or curved lines in keeping to what could be seen with the naked eye.  His attention to detail and commitment to the integrity of his work are obvious in the letters he wrote to his brother, Theo.  In these letters he explained his passion behind his current projects and went into great detail reproducing sketches of what he was working on.  He employed the technique of using light to guide the eye to rest on a particular object in the picture in his earliest paintings.  After his move to France, he began to show signs of impressionist influences.  The pictures took on a surreal appearance in which most of the lines were contoured.  These curves, along with the use of color and light keep the eye in motion when it gazes on the piece of art.  A sense of movement pervades all of his later works.  He was able to reach beyond the real world and touch the soul of an object or scene and in turn deliver that to his audience.

From the depths of obscurity, Van Gogh paintings have risen to become one of the most common and well known sets of artwork in the world.  His earliest work showed promise, and with his dedication to detail and hard work, he was able to produce works that eventually got the attention of the entire world.