ART OF CRUISING THE CARIBBEAN - 5

"When making a choice one prefers sunny and colorful effects, and there is nothing that prevents me from thinking that in the future many painters will go and work in tropical countries." - Vincent Van Gogh

WOW! Couldn't believe Van Gogh was already thinking of me during that time. He prophesied about artists going to tropical countries. Like Van Gogh, I think, there is no better place to be inspired than in tropical settings. The palette is distinctly colorful - sky blue, orange, pink, vermilion, bright yellow, bright green, bright wine-red and violet. Impressionist palette is made up of pure colors. This palette actually had a powerful, potential for expression.

VINCENT VAN GOGH was one of the most famous impressionist artists. Yet during his lifetime, he received no recognition and sold only one painting. Van Gogh was born in Holland but lived most of his life in France. He was a Dutch and French monsieur at the same time. He had a case of split personality like the island of St. Maarten. He moved to Paris and was immediately attracted to the impressionist art he saw there. Under the influence of Impressionism, Van Gogh lightened his brushstrokes and used bright, clear colors. Later he went to Arles in Southern France. There he painted his most expressive and original paintings.
FAVORITE ARTIST Van Gogh is one of my favorite Impressionist artists. I was reading an art book on Van Gogh and I found this little info about one of my favorite paintings of his, entitled "Seascape" (1888). While still in Holland he wrote: "Sand-sea-sky - I would like so much to express these at some point in my life. At Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, he had the opportunity to do so. He spent only four days at the seaside town, but was sufficiently enamored to make nine drawings and three paintings of it on his return. Of the paintings, two were seascapes and this is the better of the two. In fact Van Gogh was so pleased with it that he produced three copies. At the time of the original, Van Gogh was aspiring to a more assured way of working the broader strokes, called for in painting the sea, freed him from previous precision. The foreground waves, which have curious grass-like quality, are painted in a particularly thick impasto that makes them appear to splash off the canvass. Van Gogh being a Dutch and a French artist is the most interesting "imaginary tour guide" to help us see why St. Maarten is so spectacular.

WELCOME TO SAINT MAARTEN This small saintly island is divided between Holland and France. It's like two destinations in one - the Dutch half of the island and the French side. If you're on the Dutch side, this island is called St. Maarten. If on the French side, it is called St. Martin. No formal boundary exists between the Dutch and French sides of the island, a simple welcome sign tells you when you cross from one country to the other. But the differences are as noticeable as the spelling of the island's name. It's this split personality that lends much to the island's charms.
S..............................................SPECTACULAR, SENSATIONAL A.............................................ARTISTIC
I..............................................INSPIRING
N.............................................NEVER-ENDING
T.............................................THERAPEUTIC

M............................................MAGNIFICENT
A.............................................ADMIRABLE
A.............................................ALIVE
R.............................................ROMANTIC
T.............................................TANTALIZING
E.............................................EXCITING
N.............................................NOT-BORING SPECTACULAR as a saint named Saint Maarten. It is also as spectacular as the new cruise ship "Crown Princess" (on the left side). True to its name, Crown Princess is a spectacular floating palace. It is 952 feet in length and 113,000 gross tons. Accomodates 3,080 passengers. Its so huge and could be a floating museum and display all masterpieces in museums around the world. Crown princess is sensational from the moment you walk into the piazza. This unique atrium captures the spirit of a European plaza with myriad places to dine, relax and people-watch. It is the same sensational feeling I have, when ever I see an original Van Gogh paintings inside the museum.
ARTISTIC AND COLORFUL WELCOME PORT The magenta, blue and yellow colors of the St. Maarten letters are eye-popping. Although this island is balmy and breezy, the colors will wake you up. The colors will leap out at you.
INSPIRING SEASCAPE I think the Caribbean seascape is as inspiring as the Mediterranean seascape that inspired Van Gogh. Soothing blue colors that are beautiful to the eyes and restful to the soul.
NEVER-ENDING SHOPPING ADVENTURE At the duty-free shops in port. A great place to find and buy colorful and big Caribbean gems and handcrafted items. But beware! These things are pricey. I'd rather invest our hard earn dollar on an original painting by Van Gogh. But this is an impossible dream. Maybe, I'll be happy to own a copy.
TYPICAL DUTCH LANDMARK Bold red Dutch buildings and windmills dotted the colorful landscape of St. Maarten. Red color arouse passion. Before shopping, by-pass this Dutch landscape. You'll not be tempted to splurge.
THERAPEUTIC Browsing through this colorful art galleries is very therapeutic. Just looking at every wall drenched in different color, inspired by vibrant and pulsating hues that evoke Van Gogh's colors, will make you feel better without splurging."MAGNIFIQUE" -As the French says. Here's a magnificent view of St. Maarten before crossing the border to the French side. Van Gogh painted the Mediterranean seascape but not the Caribbean seascape. Still his thoughts about painting a seascape could apply here. He said that the Mediterranean proved more colorful than he had expected it to be and strengthened his belief that......"color must be exaggerated even more."MAGNIFIQUE! C'est Magnifique! This magnificent view is like a handsome painting by Van Gogh. In a letter describing the scene to Theo (his brother) he outlined his further surprise that - "the deep blue sky was flecked with clouds of a blue deeper than the fundamental blue of intense cobalt, and others of a clearer blue, like the blue whiteness of the milky way." After this we shouldn't look at the blue sea and sky the same again. Let's look at them through the eyes of this great impressionist artist.
ADMIRABLE HANDCRAFTED COLORFUL CARIBBEAN SCARVES These dreamy scarves speak of colors in paradise. Let's take have a short painting lesson here. Have your paint brush, colors, and you paint paradise, then in you go. Do it! Take orange and magenta and blue and purple....and green, and yellow.....and paint your paradise. Put lots of texture and it will look like a Van Gogh painting. Yes, you can do it.
ALIVE With colorful tropical wind chimes and native jewelries. Traveling is also one of the fun ways to pick up design ideas. Every place in the world has its own different flavor and style. Incorporating design idea and the items you collected from your travels both inspires and refreshed. Ideas are one thing you can take home FREE. When Picasso ( a famous modern artist) said, "A good artist borrows, a great artist steals,"......... he was speaking of ideas.
ROMANTIC What is more romantic than celebrating Valentine's Day (2007) with a Princess?Think RED! Think love, courage and passion. Red will make your day alive with additional solid brushstrokes of romance plus joy to your heart. Endless radiant breakfast, ravishing lunch and romantic dinner with champagne and cake were as colorful as Van Gogh's paintings. Perfect partners for an unforgettable day.
TANTALIZING Teasingly beautiful blue sky, aquamarine sea, and inviting hammock. Why is beauty so important? Because we get energy and motivation from beautiful sight. Beauty is food for the soul and balm to the spirit.
EXCITING ARCHITECTURE DESIGN To please the eyes, stand beside this French designed rotunda and whistle. Then wait for the exciting joy to follow. NOT-BORING This is Marigot Bay on the French side of the island. It is very interesting sight. It looks like you're back in the French Quarter in France or New Orleans, U.S.A. Very exciting place to linger with the ocean nearby. This place will stir your every emotion and steal your heart away.

PARTING THOUGHT: I have read many books written on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. His life was very sad indeed. His happy masterpieces and vibrant colors were a sharp contrast to his unhappy life. He imagined a happy life but he was too frustrated with waves of problems and ended his life. On the lighter side, his artistic life is not in vain. Every time, I look at his paintings, I feel happy and inspired. Artists should continue to create art, no matter how difficult one's circumstances are. God gave us this creative gifts to inspire and make others happy. To those who are gifted with other creative talents, you can also be an inspiration in different ways.