Celebrating art and time travel with Vincent and the Doctor

June 05, 2024

Here at Kite, time travel and art are among our biggest interests. These two themes were memorably brought together in Season 5 Episode 10 of Doctor Who. This episode aired for the first time 14 years ago today, and remains a firm fan favourite.

After being inspired by the work of Vincent van Gogh at the Musée d'Orsay in modern-day Paris, the Doctor travels back in time to meet the great artist. Arriving in 1890, the Doctor quickly bonds with the volatile but charming painter.

The most iconic moment of the episode occurs when the Doctor takes Vincent forward in time to 2010, to experience his legacy at the Musée d'Orsay. The Doctor asks a museum guide, played by Bill Nighy, to describe Vincent Van Gogh’s legacy in 100 words. The guide says:

“Well, big question, but to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly, the most popular great painter of all time. The most beloved. His command of colour, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world. No one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived.”

Vincent is reduced to tears.

The sentiment expressed by that museum guide at the Musée d'Orsay is shared by many people – including us at Kite. We were inspired to create some prints inspired by his work, check them out in our Art Squared collection.

Image source: Doctor Who, BBC

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