When "Ugly" Became Beautiful
Rea,
Getting told your work isn’t good enough hurts. Most of us try to avoid criticism or change what we’re doing to please others. But what happens when someone believes in their vision so much that they keep going, even when everyone says they’re wrong?
In the 1880s, a Dutch painter named Vincent van Gogh created hundreds of colorful paintings with bold brushstrokes and swirling patterns. Art experts of his time hated his work. Critics called his paintings “ugly,” “childish,” and “the work of a madman.” During his entire life, Van Gogh managed to sell just one painting for a tiny amount of money.
Van Gogh faced a difficult choice. He could change his style to match what critics wanted, or he could stay true to his unique vision. Despite being poor and often hungry, he chose to keep painting his way. “I can’t change the fact that my paintings don’t sell,” he wrote to his brother. “But the time will come when people will see that they are worth more than the cost of the paint.”
In the French countryside, Van Gogh captured sunflowers, wheat fields, and starry nights using bright yellows and deep blues. While other artists painted realistic scenes with subtle colors, Van Gogh used thick paint and bold strokes to show how things felt, not just how they looked. He completed over 850 paintings in just 10 years.
After Van Gogh died in 1890, something unexpected happened. Slowly, people began to see his work differently. The very things critics had called “ugly” became recognized as brilliant and revolutionary. By the 1920s, museums started collecting his paintings. Today, “The Starry Night,” once rejected by everyone, is one of the most famous paintings in the world.
In 2017, Van Gogh’s painting “Portrait of Dr. Gachet” sold for $82.5 million. That’s about $10 million per hour of painting time. The artist who couldn’t sell his work for enough money to buy food now has paintings worth more than most mansions. Millions of people stand in long lines just to see the work that experts once called worthless.
Van Gogh never knew his paintings would become treasures. By staying true to his vision despite all the negative feedback, he created something that eventually changed how people see art. Sometimes the crowd gets it wrong, and what seems strange or different today might be exactly what the world needs tomorrow.
Love, Abba
P.S. Next time someone criticizes something you create, remember Van Gogh. What might happen if you believe in your ideas, even when others don’t see their value yet?
