Van Gogh: Light from Darkness

Art historian Rose Balston leads a deep dive into Van Gogh’s life, art and legacy with a talk that goes behind the myth of the “tortured genius”, the madman, the failure “into the real story of an artist whose convictions about truth, dignity and human connection were absolutely uncompromising”. Also included: tenor Charles McGlone singling Don McLean’s ‘Starry, Starry Night’, a reflection on art as healing by transpersonal psychologist Nargis Raza, and food and drinks throughout (“substantial” canapés, mocktails, “other drinks”). Interesting factoid, courtesy of Ms Balston: Van Gogh considered ‘Starry Night’ a weak painting (actually he referred to it in letters to his brother Theo as a “failure”  – he felt that he had “reached for stars that are too big”) and regarded ‘The Potato Eaters’ as “the best thing I did”.