AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE

As part of my painting journey, I also spent some time in Aix-en-provence. We followed the footsteps of Van Gogh and Cézanne, explored the gorgeous countryside landscapes and went en plein air painting. There were many places where we could see Montagne Sainte-Victoire clearly. Time was too short, we cherished every minute to study the nature and to create a parallel universe on our canvases. Everything was just surreal.

We read Van Gogh’s letters and discussed his paintings right at the spot where he painted.

“I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process”—landed with such weight when heard aloud in those surroundings. We weren’t simply analyzing composition or color theory; we were communing with a man who saw beauty where others saw despair, who painted not just with pigment but with empathy.

That afternoon blurred time. The experience wasn’t just about learning—it was an emotional excavation, finding fragments of Van Gogh in petals, in dust, in silence.