Once a month, I make the trek to Nuenen, a little village about 20 minutes from my home. I drive out of Eindhoven and along a little winding road to my friend’s house, in the town that was home to Vincent Van Gogh.
There’s a little museum in town called the Vincentre that tells about Vincent’s life and what led him to fame as a brilliant impressionist artist. The funniest thing I learned there was that his mother sent him a letter begging him to move back home and give up his prostitute girlfriend. He eventually did but always liked to do things his own way. I find his work absolutely wonderful. [nbsp] My friend is teaching an art appreciation class called For Art’s Sake. She has many years of teaching experience and really has a gift for sharing her passion. We talk and learn about different time periods, mediums, styles and artists. A while ago, we focused solely on women artists. I learned that many times women didn’t sign their art work because it was not accepted for a woman to be an artist. A lot of women were taught how to paint in the studio by their fathers, but after a female artist would finish an unsigned painting, men would find it and sign their names. It’s just recently that their works of art are being recognized as their own. Recently, my friend and I have decided to paint. She, of course, is wonderful.[nbsp] I was an art major in college for 1 year, only because it sounded easy. Boy, was I wrong. Regardless, we have ventured into painting. It’s a wonderful way to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Enjoying art while living in Europe, absolutely! Lisa Jochim
