In the third scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Gavin Elster asks his old college pal Scottie (Jimmy Stewart) to spy on his wife, because, Elster says, in what we later learn is a set-up, he suspects she’s been possessed by a dead woman.
I should have looked at the painting more closely before reading this. I'm not convinced I would have felt uneasy but now that I've been primed, it's hard to tell. The truth is I do think Van Gogh himself looks a little on edge yet this could either confirm Walton's ideas or the simpler explanation that Van Gogh actually drew unease into his features rather than relying on formal aspects to create an uneasy atmosphere.
Maybe next time show us the picture first and then ask, 'How does this make you feel?' Then tell us, according to an examination of the formal aspects, how we ought to feel.
I should have looked at the painting more closely before reading this. I'm not convinced I would have felt uneasy but now that I've been primed, it's hard to tell. The truth is I do think Van Gogh himself looks a little on edge yet this could either confirm Walton's ideas or the simpler explanation that Van Gogh actually drew unease into his features rather than relying on formal aspects to create an uneasy atmosphere.
Maybe next time show us the picture first and then ask, 'How does this make you feel?' Then tell us, according to an examination of the formal aspects, how we ought to feel.
I agree, Walton tells us how he experiences the painting, but once you read what he says, it's hard to look yourself for an independent check.