Did you know… The Prisoners’ Bell was painted while Van Gogh was imprisoned in the Saint
-Rémy mental hospital. Although not as famous as Night Star or Sunrise, this photo will give you goosebumps when you hear the story behind it.
The scene takes place in a prison, a so-called snake pit where prisoners have the right to breathe every hour. They embark on a strange journey with no way out. But one of the prisoners, the red-haired one in the front, stands out from the unknown crowd of other prisoners. Be careful, it suits you very well.
Look, look at him carefully: there is a feeling in his eyes. Unlike the others, who appear to be machines rather than humans, engines going around in circles because their captors tell them to go in circles, this prisoner has a way of rebelling. He refused. Some critics say that this prisoner is Van Gogh himself. Van Gogh, who was despised and excluded by the society that saw him only as a loser and a madman, tells his story through this painting: The story of a man who does not understand the car company. However, when you look closely, you will see an explanation that many people overlook: There is a small butterfly on the prison wall. They have their wings outstretched and look as if they are running away from the evil of the world. Butterflies represented hope for Van Gogh. Freedom.
« Hate has always been an important symbol. Saints, monks, but also sages. Very few people who made history said no! » Well, do you remember these words of Pasolini? Van Gogh tells you only one thing in Prisoners: The only prisoner who can see the butterfly, the symbol of hope and freedom, is the prisoner who does not bow his head and looks at the sky.
Excerpt from the book «Saturday Evening Romance with Anna Karenina» I wrote it to make you love literature as much as I do. You can find out what it is and read the free episode here:
