How Does Vincent Van Gogh Create Change Through Art

The purpose of an artist is to draw a reaction from himself or the world around him. Whether this reaction is as small as a curious glance, whether it is positive or negative, whether it affects the world or an individual -- who could even be the artist himself -- in the end, something has changed in the universe. This is why art that changes nothing could be considered useless. If a painting on a wall is never noticed, it is invisible. The change induced by art could be internal or external. Often, it is a strong internal change that leads to the external, which is why the former could be the most powerful. Internal change is produced when one feels emotion, which means emotion is an element of a successful artwork -- here, “successful” does not imply artwork that sells for a high price, but one that brings any amount of change. Therefore, if an artist wanted to …show more content…
Perhaps the reason artists feel compelled to deal with painful subject matter is to release themselves and others from its grip. It is an act of sympathy. Suffering does not happen in vain. There is comfort in shared misery, and the knowledge that someone has survived it. The sufferer is no longer alone. Perhaps this is why people love the blues, and why the tragedy of Vincent Van Gogh is so fascinating. Van Gogh suffered from anxiety, absinthe addiction, and seizures, but suffering gave him insight, and that insight gave the world Post-Impressionism.
Furthermore, the painter Frida Kahlo found fame by incorporating the tragedies of her life in her work. The pain was both physical and emotional. As a teenager, she survived a traffic accident, and then suffered chronic pain, thirty operations, miscarriages, and an amputation of her leg up to the knee. She had a turbulent relationship with her unfaithful husband, Diego Rivera, whom she divorced once and married twice. Though she was a figure of charm and glamour, what she offered was her