By Lee Chang-kook

I am not an expert nor a professional in the arts, especially on Western paintings, but for me the "Voyage into the Myth," the first major exhibition of Vincent Van Gogh's works at the City Museum of Fine Arts in Seoul (November 24, 2007 through March 16, 2008) was a surprise and provided food for thought about art and life in general.

I knew Van Gogh was a big name in the world of Western painters, but I did not know he had such a large Korean following until I went to the show. Due to the huge audience that crowded the place I had to wait outside for more than half an hour before I saw some of the original works by this legendary Dutch painter.

Standing in a long and labyrinthine queue I fell into some doubt about the contents of the exhibition. Despite the fanfare of publicity on the show I knew I would not see his best works well known to us. These works have all been collected by the famous museums and private collectors throughout the world, and they (the owners of the works) would not have been easily persuaded to part with any of these priceless works even for a moment.

Nonetheless, I was very curious about what I would see at this exhibit. Fortunately I had already seen several of his famous paintings during my travels abroad, including ``The Portrait of Doctor Paul Gachet,'' ``The Bedroom at Arles," ``The Church at Auvers,'' ``Pere Tanguy" and ``Self-Portrait," ``The Cypresses," and one of his ``Sunflowers." I tried not to harbor too much expectation for the show, but I had a particular work in mind and hoped against hope it would be included among the works being displayed.

It was his ``shoe'' painting ― a pair of black, worn-out and dirty-looking shoes on the point of being discarded with their strings loose and tangled. I had come across this painting by chance in a book first and came to like it and my appreciation for it increased as time went on, but I did not have the luck to see its original until now.

As I had vaguely anticipated, most of the works displayed were new and strange to me. They were Van Gogh's early paintings, drawings, and sketches that demonstrated how he started and developed as a painter. For the experts on art, scholars on Van Gogh's paintings or for professional painters themselves these works must have provided something very important and valuable clues to a better understanding of Van Gogh's world of art, but for me who just wanted to see and feel something beautiful, pleasant and good, they turned out to be more of an education than a pleasure.

Frankly speaking, I do not have particular fondness for Van Gogh's works except for a few of his landscapes. Although I admit his genius, passion and originality as a painter, his works are not the kind of things I like. With their unnatural as well as unrealistic depictions and proportions, broad brushstrokes, and too thick and excessively strong colors (especially yellow), they make me uncomfortable and uneasy. They constantly remind me of his unhappy and tragic life, and even of his insanity. They make me think more than please.

But, in his paintings of shoes I see what I like ― realism, physical as well as mental health and steadfastness ― a rare quality and virtue to be found in Van Gogh's works and life. I feel secure and safe before his paintings of shoes.

It is quite interesting that Van Gogh, as a painter, was interested in painting the shoes as much as sunflowers. If Van Gogh tried to find and express love and life in the sunflowers, which he could not in his real life, he must have found and felt much affinity and sympathy in the shoes he was wearing, particularly in the worn-out shoes. In them Van Gogh must have seen another portrait of himself. For him, practically as well as ideally, the shoes were a symbol of poverty, misery and struggle and endurance ― a good contrast to and balance against the gaudy but ephemeral sunflowers.

For many people Van Gogh is more interesting for his life than his works. During his short life (he died at 37) he was miserably poor, lonely and unhappy, and definitely unsuccessful as a painter. Among so many works he has painted during his lifetime only one piece is said to have been sold. He was emotionally unstable, often dangerously.

In a word, there was nothing laudable in Van Gogh's life except for the fact that he painted what he liked to paint, like a mad man in his own particular as well as peculiar way and style, and died leaving these works behind that brought him posthumous fame.

And, we were there to see, enjoy and be happy with the works the poor artist Van Gogh had left. I could not be so light and happy in front of his works. Would I not be a cold and cruel man if I could be happy observing these works all done in such an agonizingly tortured state of mind? Art is long and life is short, they say. It is a truth, as I see his works here in Seoul 100 years later, but what is the use of immortality, if the artist had lived such a miserable and unhappy life? For whom is the immortality? For us or for Van Gogh? Would it not be better for him if he did not paint and lived like us? Who told him to be a painter? Is Van Gogh aware of this exhibition? The children who were ignorant of and indifferent to the agony and tragedy of the artist were shouting and running around the museum hall ― happy and gay just for having a day out with their parents.

cklee@cau.ac.kr