What can I say that hasn’t already been said about two of the greatest artists in history, except that Van Gogh and Kandinsky, not to mention other lesser known expressionists like Gabrielle Münter, and Franz Marc helped to shape the way we look at the world today. These are paintings that leave a tangible mark on the brain. They creep up on you. They insinuate and ultimately express the strange, often hidden malefactions of the human condition. Works like Van Gogh’s “Pollard Willows at Sunset (Saules au coucher du soleil)” 1888 practically suck the air right out of your lungs and leave you gasping, yet somehow you can’t stop staring. 

LACMA

5905 Wilshire Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Ends Sept. 14, 2014