TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Van gogh and his doctors: Projections and counter-projections
JO  - The European legacy, toward new paradigms : journal of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas / sponsored by the European Cultural Foundation
A1  - Heyd, M.
SP  - 355
EP  - 362
VL  - 16
IS  - 3
N2  - This article analyzes the relationship between Van Gogh and two of his doctors, Dr. Rey and Dr. Gachet, whose portraits he painted, by comparing their rapport with the sick painter and vice versa. Van Gogh the patient/ artistpresented here as a case studyenables us to examine not only his projections but the counter-projections of his doctors, whether in writing (Dr. Rey) or in painting (Dr. Gachet), and to explore the psychological and ethical tensions these projections give rise to. Van Gogh's portraits of the two doctors offer two contrastive models: estrangement vis - vis doubling and symbiosis. Whereas Dr. Rey catered for Van Gogh's maternal needs and misunderstood his artistic needs, Dr. Gachet identified with his patient's talent and drew his face (death mask) after his suicide. The central ethical question that arises from the analysis of Van Gogh's relationship with his two doctors is whether we can extend our moral judgments beyond the cultural bounds of a specific historical context. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1084-8770
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10848770.2011.575598
ID  - ref1
ER  -