Week 3 Blog: Aristotle and Vincent Van Gogh

Aristotle’s pursuit of eudaimonia in his book, “Nicomachean Ethics”, revolves around the idea of achieving a fulfilled and flourishing life through moral virtues. Eudaimonia is the ultimate goal of human existence according to Aristotle. He argues that true happiness is not merely the result of material wealth or temporary pleasures, but is rather found through the rational activity of the soul, because “…the goods of the soul are said to be goods to the fullest extent…” (p. 30).

Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflower paintings can be viewed as a visual representation of the pursuit of eudaimonia. His Sunflower painting was done with only three different shades of vibrant yellow. For him, yellow was the emblem of happiness because it was his favorite color. The sunflowers also hold significance, because they are painted in various stages of decay. This could be interpreted as the cycle of death and correlates to the fleetingness of life.

Both Aristotle and Van Gogh seek to convey a sense of fulfillment and aesthetic richness through their works. Aristotle articulates his ideas through words, while Van Gogh visualizes his ideas through painting. In essence, the comparison reveals how diverse forms of human expression come together to explore the fundamental concepts of a meaningful life.