David Lynch is not making a very convincing argument here. Just because Van Gogh was (presumably) happy while doing his painting, doesn’t mean that the sufferi

David Lynch is not making a very convincing argument here. Just because Van Gogh was (presumably) happy while doing his painting, doesn’t mean that the suffering previous wasn’t an important component in portraying it in his art. One of my favourite novellas is Dostoyevskys White Nights, which portrays a young man in love. His portrayal is so vivid that I doubt it could have been written by anyone who hasn’t experienced heartbreak.