Painting by four-legged Van Gogh sells for five figures
A very good boy named Van Gogh has raised a hefty sum of money for a good cause.
The one-eared four-legged artist has used his extraordinary talents to create his own rendition of his namesake’s masterpiece Starry Night.
At an online benefit auction for the Happily Furever After Rescue in Connecticut, USA, pet food company Pedigree paid $10,000 for the artwork.
The rescue home was the one that found Van Gogh his new forever home, after sharing his artistic talents online.
All the proceeds of Van Gogh the dog’s auction will benefit the rescue efforts of Happily Furever After, which specialises in rehoming dogs like pit bulls, who can sometimes have a hard time finding homes.
The paintings in the current auction, titled “Van Gogh Reimagined,” are all based on compositions by the original Van Gogh.
However, unlike a painting by the Dutch master, the dog’s art starts the bidding at just $25 a piece.
“Having Van Gogh create some of history’s most famous paintings felt like big shoes to fill,” founder Jaclyn Gartner told Artnet News.
“There was a lot more attention to detail this time around to make sure to incorporate all the colours and try to recreate the pieces as closely as possible.”
Since finding his new home, Van Gogh has created more than 150 new works of art.
To make each masterpiece, a person applies blobs of colours of paint to a canvas placed inside a plastic bag.
The talented dog then completes the artwork by licking off a coating of peanut butter or other dog-friendly treats from the outside of the bag, making the artwork inside.
“The most exciting part about Van Gogh painting is never really knowing what it’s going to come out to look like as it depends on how his tongue slides across the peanut butter coated bag,” Gartner said.
“Since we did the art gallery in October, Van Gogh has explored more tasty toppings,” she added.
“We have begun incorporating other things like ground up liverwurst, pumpkin puree, and goat whip. Painting has become an even more delicious hobby for Van Gogh!“
Image credits: Happily Furever After Rescue