I never realized how short a life Van Gogh had. He was born in 1853. That’s the same year as me minus a century, and he abruptly passed away from gunshot wounds in 1890. I was still a kid then. He committed suicide. What a loss to the world. I’ve seen many of his paintings in museums throughout the world, but here, for the first time, I saw the mother lode of all Van Gogh. It’s such a shame the Van Gogh museum does not allow photography. Only an unenlightened institution restricts this. I learn best from what I have seen, so my photo collection is important to me.

I never realized how versatile and prolific a painter Van Gogh was. I must have seen a hundred of his works today. Without question he is my favorite artists. His use of color and shape are so unique that he cannot be compared to anyone else. His strength is that he never formally studied art. He was self-taught, so he was thinking outside of the box from the beginning. Sometimes going to school and following the standard course is not always best. Certainly not for a Van Gogh.