Alireza Karimi Moghaddam, an Iranian artist, brings Vincent van Gogh’s story to life through vibrant and powerful illustrations. Rather than simply recreating Van Gogh’s iconic paintings, Moghaddam delves into his personal narrative, offering a fresh perspective on his renowned life and work.
“For me, Van Gogh is not only a famous artist and a genius but a way of life. He is not a frustrated and distressed model but a symbol of love, humanity, and altruism. I understand and propagate his creative ideas from a different perspective, and contrary to the prevailing traditional view, I would like a different Van Gogh to be a Van Gogh for everyone,” Moghaddam shared on Bored Panda.
#1
We reached out to Moghaddam to learn more about his creative process and background. When asked about the inspiration behind his Vincent van Gogh series, the artist shared that his fascination with the Dutch painter began in his childhood. “Back then, I used to flip through my father’s books, which featured Van Gogh’s paintings, and I was captivated by the use of colors, the brushstrokes, and the simplicity of his designs. This fascination stayed with me until I entered university and chose to study graphic design.
“During my time at university, I decided to depict Van Gogh’s life in a unique way, through a fantasy world. I started this project nearly 20 years ago, but I began publishing it about 7 years ago.
“I constantly try to imagine Van Gogh in my own fantasy world, bringing him to life and conveying the stories that exist in my imagination to my audience through his character and perspective.”
#2
#3
Moghaddam’s creative process begins with flipping through a book of Van Gogh’s works and examining his paintings. In this process, one of the paintings randomly catches his attention, prompting him to work on it and make changes. These changes add a touch of fantasy to the piece.
His idea is to imagine what could have happened if Van Gogh had been present in that painting and space. He aims to make it appealing to the audience by reimagining different moments from Van Gogh’s life, such as poverty, loneliness, the pain, and struggles he experienced, including his mental health issues or illnesses. However, he approaches this reimagining as if Van Gogh were alive today, living in the modern world with all its technologies. He wonders how Van Gogh would react and what he would do.
This perspective is attractive to the audience because it allows them to empathize with Van Gogh and envision him in today’s world.
#4
#5
Moghaddam shared that he loves all of Van Gogh’s paintings and designs, enjoying each one of them. “Naturally, his paintings from the last days of his life, when he was under the care of Dr. Gachet, hold more fascination for me. However, in general, his series of cypress tree paintings are particularly meaningful to me, and I try to incorporate the symbol of the cypress tree into most of my illustrations.”
#6
“My entire goal in creating these images and frames is to convey to people and audiences that, contrary to the image most people have of Van Gogh as someone with a mental illness, the reality is quite different. Van Gogh was a person who loved life and wished for all humans to live together in peace and harmony. In my view, Van Gogh was not a mentally ill person, but rather the product of a society that ignored artists like him during their lifetimes, offering them no emotional or economic support. This neglect led Van Gogh to take actions that, in the eyes of society and people of his time, seemed like madness. However, if we look at each of Van Gogh’s frames and paintings, at least from my perspective, all we see in his work is love and friendship. This is the message I want to convey to my audience.”
#8
#9
#10
#11
