An exhibition of van Gogh’s paintings is always an event in history,
not in the history of painted objects,
but in the history of history itself.For there is no famine, no epidemic, no volcanic eruption,
no earthquake, no war
that has so overturned the monads of the air,
the dark figure, the fama fatum, the neurotic destiny of things,
twisting their necks in such a way,
as a painting by van Gogh — brought to light.The gaze,
hearing, touch,
once again directly exposed to sight, hearing, touch, smell,
finally hurled back into the familiar present,
reintroduced into the cycle.
Artaud (translated)
Summary
Article Name
Sunflowers
DescriptionVan Gogh’s Sunflowers appear here not as homage, but as disturbance.
The painting engages Antonin Artaud’s understanding of art as a force that violently reintroduces perception into the present — against habit, history, and reassurance.
Author
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Publisher Name
A: Lascaux