Wheat Field With Crows

Everyone is always trying to analyze Van Gogh's Wheat Field With Crows. It is an amazing painting that I got to see in person years ago in New York City. There was this spectacular exhibit documenting the last fifteen months of his life through paintings, sketches and letters to his brother. I was there when it opened that morning, and I was one of the last to leave when they closed it for the night. This was one of the paintings that I spent probably an hour, maybe more, gazing at. So many feelings come up as I look at this painting. The colors and movement are fabulous...and yes, there is the dark and stormy sky with the crows flying over an illuminated wheat field. Many say that this was his suicide note, or the painting that showed us that he was contemplating suicide. Yes, it is definitely a possibility.

However, why do we have to analyze things to death? Why can't we just "be" with a painting? Maybe Van Gogh wasn't trying to send us a message about his feelings at all. Maybe he was simply in awe of what he saw. Today I was driving through a snowstorm, and when I got down to the lowlands, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. I was driving by a wheat field, and the sun brought that field to a blaze. The sky was a purplish blue, and crows were flying on the wind currents just above the field. It was an amazing sight to see. That natural compliments of the yellow and the purples of the impending storm were spectacular. I pulled over to the side of the road and just watched. I felt uplifted from the redundancy of my daily routine. I saw the magic that emerged from a simple glimmer of light that founds its way between a few clouds. The darkness of the crows perfectly accented the scene.

As I look at the painting right now I could say that he saw the light on the other side of the storm that he felt trapped within. Yes, maybe he made his choice as he painted this. However, I also see a gift of beauty that he gave to all of us. I see the awe he felt, as I felt today, witnessing this moment. He felt the power of nature, and he was hoping, maybe, that we would pull over to the side of the road and see it. Remember, the Industrial Age was underway when he was alive. He saw the pace of life quickening. He saw how people were in awe of the machine instead of the sunflower. Maybe this was his note to us to remember, to slow down, to enjoy, to celebrate, and to not miss out on the gifts of Mother Nature all around us.

Mitakuye Oyasin