My Top Ten (5)

Painting number five in my ten favourites has to be a van Gogh. But which one? I've always loved this. Vincent wasn't mad, but anyone with experience of mental health issues can see he struggled. A lot. This painting always feels the result of deep fear. He described the sky in a letter as 'a simple, deep blue.' It's anything but. To me it feels like the settling of everything that the church isn't. Where on earth are those darks going? I could write 10k words on that, but don't worry, I won't. It's so beautiful. He died above a cafe round the corner, and is buried in the graveyard. His work is so familiar, and so resplendent in its beauty, but his life so sad. It's hard to equate the two. I think this painting does it. I've stood on the very spot that it was painted, and stood at his grave. It's very moving really.