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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Vincent Van Gogh's Ear

Aloha Everyone,
J.J. and I watched an intriguing, educational documentary based on writer Bernadette Murphy's new book Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story. Murphy spent 7 years immersed in conducting exhaustive research based on scattered hints and long overlooked evidence. She then came up with a bold and believable hypothesis on what really happened on December 23,1888.
1). Why did Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear 
2). Was it just an earlobe or the entire ear
3). To whom and why did Van Gogh present his severed ear?
When I was a student, Van Gogh was one of my favorite artists. I was drawn into his dynamic, unconventional approach to painting ordinary subjects. With his brush strokes, he made the starry night sky and stars become animated as if they were living beings. Sunflowers were no longer beautiful yellow flowers, but they were alive with souls.

This program presented under the umbrella of "Mystery of the Dead" kept J.J. and me on our toes. We were walking down the dark streets of Arles with Bernadette Murphy seeking for answers. Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/find-your-next-read/recommendations/2016/jul/bernadette-murphy-on-van-gogh/#L6YYDxgKlhw0f21X.99
Aloha -- Cathi