A recent discovery has rocked the art world – a painting purchased at a garage sale in Minnesota has been identified as a previously unknown work by renowned Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. Created during Van Gogh’s time at a psychiatric hospital in 1889, the painting was identified through a detailed analysis of its canvas weave, paint pigment, and other characteristics.
Measuring 45.7 centimeters by 41.9 centimeters, the portrait depicts a fisherman with a white beard, smoking a pipe while repairing his net. Experts also discovered an inscription of the word “Elimar” in the bottom right corner of the painting.
Despite four years of research confirming its authenticity, the painting still needs to be officially attributed to Van Gogh by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The museum had previously declined to attribute the painting when approached by the former owner in 2018.
LMI Group International, the art research firm behind the analysis, is confident in the painting’s authenticity. They believe it to be a significant and deeply personal work from the final chapter of Van Gogh’s turbulent life, marked by mental health struggles. Van Gogh’s legacy of around 900 paintings continues to captivate art enthusiasts and researchers alike.
Vocabulary List:
- Authenticity /ɔːˈθɛn.tɪ.sɪ.ti/ (noun): The quality of being genuine or valid.
- Renowned /rɪˈnaʊnd/ (adjective): Known or talked about by many people; famous.
- Inscription /ɪnˈskrɪpʃən/ (noun): Words that are written or carved on something.
- Attribution /ˌæt.rɪˈbjuː.ʃən/ (noun): The action of regarding something as being caused by a person or thing.
- Analysis /əˈnæl.ə.sɪs/ (noun): A detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.
- Depicts /dɪˈpɪkt/ (verb): To represent or show something in a picture or story.
