Sometimes, Less Van Gogh Is Just Enough

Three modestly scaled masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh are the only works in a stunning little show at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Not so long ago, such sharply focused exhibitions were almost always occasioned by a bit of provocative scholarship, by an institution’s acquisition of a coveted object or by the application of some newfangled conservation technique. But times have changed. “Vincent’s Irises” is pure promotion.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. In art as in life, if you’ve got it, there’s no reason not to flaunt it.

Organized to coincide with “Van Gogh’s Van Goghs: Masterpieces From the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam,” a long-anticipated and critically acclaimed exhibition of 70 paintings on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, “Vincent’s Irises” grabs on to the coattails of the larger, more widely publicized show by inviting viewers to get away from the crowds packing LACMA West and experience the Modern painter’s works more intimately.

The titles of the two shows clarify their differences. Just tell someone you’re going to go see “Van Gogh’s Van Goghs: Masterpieces From the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam” and they’ll probably think you’re composing a pop song whose refrain is the famous artist’s name. If brand-name recognition is the goal, this mouthful of a title gets the job done in triplicate.

In contrast, saying “Vincent’s Irises” out loud makes it sound as if you’re on a first-name basis with the Dutch painter, and equally familiar with just where, in his oeuvre, these flower paintings fit in. Although it’s refreshing to see a museum striving to eliminate some of the pretense that often accompanies Modern art, pretensions toward casual intimacy are still pretensions. Imagine your response to a show called “Pablo’s Baby Pictures” or “Vinny’s Sunflowers.” Few would argue that such smarmy titles didn’t take the tendency toward chummy intimacy one step too far.

Ultimately, what makes this three-painting exhibition a success is the opportunity it provides. It’s right to insist that Van Gogh’s paintings are intimate, made to be looked at up close and one-on-one. Given the artist’s unparalleled mass appeal, any grouping of more than a few of his paintings (much less his best) would cause a crowd. With only three on display, the Getty downplays the show’s status as a big event, giving viewers a rare chance to stand a few feet (or inches) in front of each picture, without having to rub shoulders with strangers or to worry that you’re blocking anyone else’s view. All it takes is a little patience to let the ebb and flow of visitors pass through the gallery.

Like other late-19th century easel paintings, Van Gogh’s best works make their own contexts. Requiring and rewarding 100% of your concentration, they cause you to forget about your surroundings. The last two I saw were in a Las Vegas casino. Although a more different setting from the Getty’s antiseptic, high-ceilinged and sky-lit gallery could not be imagined, such peripheral information doesn’t make any difference.

The centerpiece of the show is the Getty’s famous “Irises” (1889), a dazzling canvas Van Gogh painted while a patient at an asylum in Saint-Remy, France, the year before he took his life. Made during the first months of his stay, while he was confined to the institution’s grounds, the close-up of violet irises and fiery marigolds bristles with energy. Its composition follows a pair of unstable diagonal lines that link the canvas’ opposite corners, giving the image a dramatic sense of X-marks-the-spot finality.

“Iris” (1889), a smaller painting of a single plant with four stalks and a solitary blossom (lent by the National Gallery of Canada), is made up of hundreds of abbreviated brush strokes, not one of which was applied without the bristles of Van Gogh’s brush bearing a full load of paint. To look closely at this quietly explosive still life is to imagine the rapid back-and-forth movement between palette and canvas that brought it into being, one decisive gesture at a time.

Van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin,” painted the year before “Iris” (and lent by Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum) is linked to the flower paintings by its palette and paint handling. It, too, is a tour de force demonstration of Van Gogh’s genius for fusing hard-won self-control and utter abandon, as if every little detail is loaded with so much emotional tension that it’s about to burst.

Both exhilarating and exhausting, Van Gogh’s paintings are best seen in small doses. A presentation of three gives viewers a better chance to maintain the high level of focus these works demand.

At the same time, they let the Getty put its best foot forward. After an opening year marked by overcrowded galleries and long waits, this little exhibition shows that the museum is not, at the moment, as crowded as LACMA, and, more important, that it is not too crowded to keep you from seeing what counts.

* “Vincent’s Irises,” J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood, (310) 440-7300, through March 21. Closed Mondays. Parking reservations required.