Van Gogh Spins a Yarn

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Van_Gogh_Self-Portrait_Autumn_1887

“In [Van Gogh's] studio, he kept a lacquered box containing balls of brightly colored yarn  that he endlessly twined and untwined to test the interaction of colors – exactly the procedure described by Chevereul, who had developed his theory as director of dyes for the royal looms at Gobelins.”  [Van Gogh: The Life, Steven Naifen and Gregory White Smith]

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  1. Marie Kazalia
    Marie Kazalia09-04-2012

    Leslie, This is interesting. I read the published letters of Van Gogh a few years ago, and one of outstanding quote that stayed with has to do with yarn, weaving and color! “A grey that’s woven from red, blue, yellow, off-white and black threads, a blue that — is broken by a green and an orange, red or yellow thread — are very different from plain colours — that is, they vibrate more and make whole colours look harsh, whole, and lifeless.”

    • Leslie Parke
      Leslie Parke09-05-2012

      Marie, what a great addition to this post.

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