Van Gogh and the Art of the Future

Life & the Arts Column by Eric D. Lehman

At the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, I stare in wonder at Sprig of Flowering Almond in a Glass, so delicate in both form and color. There is something so sad about it, so fragile and broken. White flowers and knobbly branches are set in a dirty glass of water on a yellow-green table. A red line crosses the painting behind the sprig and the glass, in the same red shade that Vincent signs his name in the upper left corner. I decided that I prefer it to the popular design of the almond blossoms with its sky-blue background, so easily reproduced on the mugs and scarves for sale in the lobby.

My wife Amy and I are not in Holland for the marijuana bars; we are addicted to art. We plan to see over a dozen art museums in the next week, but our first stop is this temple to Vincent Van Gogh. And it is a temple, make no mistake, filled with pilgrims from all over the world here to worship the life and work of this strange and troubled Dutch painter. This is not so strange. There is something cold…