11th Grade -
Mention Vincent van Gogh in any art class and you'll hear, "Oh, yeah, the dude who cut off his ear." Never mind that he was one of the most brilliant artists who ever lived, or that his paintings sell at auction for tens of millions of dollars. Of course the ear story does open up a more detailed discussion of Vincent's mental problems and his lonely, tortured personal life. So, just to set the story straight, on December 23, 1888, at the age of 35, Vincent cut off his left ear (although a self-portrait in 1889 shows a bandaged right ear). He then either sent the ear by messenger (or brought it himself) to a brothel in Paris, and gave it to a woman named Rachel, a former love, instructing her to take good care of it. Art historians and psychoanalysts have pondered the why of this outrageous act of self-mutilation for a hundred years. Was he seeking to end his auditory halluncinations? Did he hear Rachel's voice in his head? Or was this the ultimate gesture of Vincent's love? Who knows?

One of the things we seek to accomplish in class is a sense of time, of history and to put into perspective great works of not just literature, but painting, sculpture, music and drama. Analyse the following lyrics. They're from a play (a musical) about the studio in Arles, France that was shared by Van Gogh and the artist Paul Gauguin. The song is called "Vincent's Ear" (appropriately enough). We'll do this song in class, and another entitled "In the Yellow House." These songs retell the most dramatic moments of Vincent's troubled life. We'll see if we can put the pieces together, discover the truth, and peek into the emotions of one of the world's greatest artists.

Vincent's Ear

How did you ever find her?
She tried so hard to disappear.
Somebody rang the bell and
Handed her Vincent's ear.

And no one understands
All the love inside he tried to give
No one understands
His life was hard to live
No one understands
In a past which he could not desert
No one understands
How his heart was hurt
Somehow by someone.

People suspect a secret
But what could explain a gift so queer?
Totally unprepared for
The riddle of Vincent's ear.
Time can't erase the image:
Handsomely wrapped for you, my dear.
Imagine her surprise then
Discovering Vincent's ear.

-Michael Franks