L'inquieto fascino dei colori in Van Gogh. L'analisi jaspersiana di un caso clinico

Jaspers’s sharp perception of the interweaving between a work of art and illness in van Gogh is still valid today. The focus is not so much on the study of the influence of psychosis in art, but rather in the vision of a dynamic unity between painting and personal experi- ence that mental illness seems to foster rather than weaken. This contribution’s goal is to go beyond Jaspers’ analysis, following his pathographic insights but focusing on “form”, on the expressive modes of van Gogh’s brushstroke and intensity of colours, more than on the “contents” of his art and on their link to his mental state. By developing this assumption, this contribution will show that van Gogh succeeded in holding true to his artistic mission until his colours enabled him to see the external world and hear its terrible yet exalting sounds. Ultimately, something gave way: a breach not only between the inner and outer world, as one may think. Deep down his world something was torn apart when his percep- tive experience, marked by his anchorage to colours, was separated from his psychic and spiritual experience, leaving his only option: psychological breakdown.