Perception In Vincent Van Gogh's The Portrait Of Alexander Reid

Perception is subjective. Different perceptions come from internal or external influences that make us interpret an object in many ways. When it comes to art, any person would like to see great art by the likes of Picasso, Monet and van Gogh, but why? We know these names and we know that they are some of the greatest artists out there so that must mean that their artwork is superb. Imagine if you were walking through a museum and came across a painting that struck you as magnificent. You admired it but then you look at the tag and there’s no artist’s name to be found. This might shock you, with the painting being so exquisite in your mind that you think “Why wouldn’t the artist take credit for this and put their name on it?” The way we respond

Branching out is always looked at with the stigma or risky or dangerous so we tend to conform and follow the herd. We appreciate art at different levels and the art on the highest level is accepted as great because that is what everyone says about it. Vincent van Gogh created the Portrait of Alexander Reid in 1887. It is an oil painting of an art collector who van Gogh knew briefly. This painting incorporates light colors, emphasizing white hues. It has a contrast of colors that should be dark, like browns, that seem faded and makes the painting appear aged. Now when I looked at this painting I thought it was nice and warm, I did not know previously that it was a van Gogh painting. When I found out I immediately thought that this painting must be of high value because it was painted by him. This immediate response demonstrates that because this painting is by a prestigious painter, it immediately makes it more valuable. I did appreciate this painting more because I thought that it was most likely the most important one in the museum and this is all because of one name attributed to it. I am sure that many others have had the same reaction to this painting as I did because it is general knowledge that van Gogh is a great and heralded artist so his artwork must be too. But does that mean this specific painting was really that