“Sur les Traces de Vincent van Gogh”

Raymond Martinez (in french)

English Title: In the Footsteps of Vincent van Gogh

This book brings together three research projects, three experiences which are also three episodes of my quest in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh.

These three experiences follow one another in chronological order and follow the same route as traveled by Vincent van Gogh during the last years of his life.
This artist with a singular life left us an extraordinary body of work. His creativity beyond any dogma and his innovative spirit have revolutionized the painting of his time. Even today, the artist and his creations retain a certain amount of shadow. It is to try to lift a corner of the veil that my curiosity, spurred by my passion, has guided my steps in this research.

The adventure begins in Arles where my knowledge of the city and my experience as an amateur astronomer gave birth to an enigma in me when faced with the painting “Starry Night over the Rhone”. And it was in 2012, after a captivating search, that I was able to perceive how Van Gogh reinterpreted reality before transposing it with poetry onto the canvas.

It continues in Saint-Rémy de Provence in the art therapy workshop of the Saint-Paul de Mausole psychiatric clinic. This is where Van Gogh was treated after the crisis that led him to cut off his ear. In this place, in 2014 and 2015, I carried out a photographic work on traces of paint left on easels. These involuntary traces revealed valuable clues to understand the mysterious act of painting.

It is finally in Auvers sur Oise that this journey will end with an introspection in Vincent van Gogh’s last painting. After seeing “Tree Roots” in November 2023 at the Musée d’Orsay. After then going to Auvers sur Oise, my initial impression was confirmed. In this research, I expose my feelings about this work bursting with mystery.

My vision as a photographer helped me to better understand Van Gogh.
My experience as an artist allows me to better understand Vincent.

Self-published, 56 pages, Color, A4 format

The book can be ordered on the form on the Contact page or by email.

The price of the book is 18 € + shipping costs