"Edson’s vivid portrayal of the urban area, as well as the working class and underclass, creates a vision of Saint John that highlights the discrepancy between the pre-modern idyllic notion of life in Atlantic Canada and the more complicated reality of the region."


-The New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Van Gogh in Ottawa




These are the three Vincent van Gogh works in the National Gallery's permanent collection. The first one (from left to right), Iris, was painted in 1889 while he was in the asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence. The second, Bowl with Zinnias and Other Flowers, was painted in 1886 and is one of Van Gogh's early works while living in Paris. The third, Vase with Zinnias and Geraniums, was painted either a few days before or after. These last two are important works as they marked the beginning of van Gogh's use of vibrant colours (greatly influenced by the Impressionists), leading to some of the world's best-known works of art, Sunflowers, Starry Night, etc.

Van Gogh's use of vibrant colour is the basis for the new novel I'm working on, Dogs in Heat--still a good three or four years away from being finished...

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