It is clear Van Gogh was on a quest to craft his paintings with the most extraordinary colours.He said, “But the colourist of the future will such as the world has not seen.”
He was highly intentionalasit was all a part of his bigger agenda to bless humanity.
He has to do with him never forgetting his roots despite his lapses in faith and many personal struggles. As a former missionary and pastor, he knew that art could be a medium to share the gospel to the world.
He wanted all his colourful paintings to reflect his own warmth and passion for people, and for the glorious gospel of Christ.
And in a revolutionary way, like Paul the apostle who said, he was“to reveal his Son (Jesus) in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…” Sotoo,Van Goghhad a revelation that Christ was also The artist at work in and through him, enabling his dazzling works.
This was very apparent in a Letter to Emil Bernard, a friend and fellow artist, on June 26,1988. Van Gogh wrote it around two years prior to his death, stating:
“Christ alone, of all the philosophers, magicians, etc., has affirmed eternal life as the most important certainty, the infinity of time, the futility of death, the necessity and purpose of serenity and devotion. He lived serenely, as an artist greater than all other artists, scorning marble and clay and paint, working in the living flesh. In other words, this peerless artist, scarcely conceivable with the blunt instrument of our modern, nervous, and obtuse brains, made neither statues nor paintings nor books. He maintained in no uncertain terms that he made…living men, immortals.”
The next day, in a subsequent letter, written on June 27, 1988 to Emil again, Van Gogh wrote, “there is only this kernel, Christ — who, from the point of view of art, seems superior to me — at any rate something other — than Greek, Indian, Egyptian, Persian antiquity, which went so far. Now I say it again — this Christ is more of an artist than the artists — he works in living spirit and flesh, he makes men instead of statues, so….. as a painter I feel good being an ox …. and I admire the bull, the eagle, the man,with a veneration — which — will prevent my being a man of ambition.”
Here he finishes acknowledging the Ezekiel vision; he lives for God’s glory. Unlocking Van Gogh secrets has led me to an exciting journey in the arts to touch lives and nations.
Here is a video I made showing how to produce Van Gogh-like colours, transforming an ordinary Melbourne city scape scene into a Van Gogh-like impasto oil;enjoy:
Mark Rusic was born in Melbourne and has a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He became a missionary to many, suffering hardship and poverty on Madura Island in Indonesia, in 1990 for about four years. He worked as a pastor-life coach with Hope International Ministries from 2002 to May 2023, playing a key role in raising up leaders and elders for the local Melbourne Hope church, which lead today. Mark has also been active in conducting yearly trips to remote Indigenous communities, bringing teams for training and outreach, which he initiated from 2015. He also established a salt and light ministry to empower saints of influence in the marketplace from 2017.
Mark is also an artist and an author and has written two books which are both a collection of his own paintings, photography, and poetry. These include ‘Iconic Melbourne of Australia’ and ‘Iconic Animals of Australia- With a voice to release your giant potential within,’ which are available now on booktopia.com.au and at leading book retailers. He has been counted among some of Australia’s best authors on several occasions through Dymocks since 2014 and continues to be a motivational speaker in various community groups, organisations, and churches.
He is currently pioneering his itinerant ministry to bless Indigenous people and empower the body of Christ, while working as an artist, author and speaker.