'Maniacs or Pioneers'.

We spent a lovely afternoon yesterday, visiting the Van Gogh exhibition currently on display at Compton Verney, Warwickshire. This exhibition features paintings gathered from all over the world, and covering Van Gogh's artistic life. Apart from being Van Gogh paintings they all share in the fact that they were originally collected or owned by British 'Pioneer Collectors'!
Alongside the paintings there are catalogues, bills of sale, newspaper cuttings, photographs and cartoons, all adding to the history of Van Gogh and his reputation.
The painting above 'Long Grass with Butterflies' was painted while he was a patient at the asylum at St-Rémy, near Arles, from May 1889 to May 1890 and together with Olive Trees really captured my attention, having never seen them before. So many interesting paintings, included, 'Oleaners' 1888, (see below) 'Peach Blosson in the Crau' 1889 and oh so many more!
Van Gogh's work was first exhibited in Britain in 1910 as part of an exhibition at London's Grafton Galleries, entitled Manet and the Post-Impressionists. Lewis Hind, the Daily Chronicle art critic, reported on heated exchanges at the opening, and he wrote '...they are maniacs of art, or they are pioneers opening new avenues of expression and emotion'. It is interesting that what Hind described as 'the fiery spirit of revolt' has 'become some of the most recognised images in the history of art and are commercially reproduced throughout the world'.
Compton Verny is a Robert Adam mansion, set in 120 acres of parkland, landscaped by 'Capability' Brown. Nice coffee shop too :-)