This Guy Recreated A Van Gogh Painting With Plants On A 1.2-Acre Field

By Mayukh Saha / Truth Theory

This artist has taken his admiration game to a whole new level. Stan Herd recently spent six months transforming a patch of 1.2-acre land into a Van Gogh painting. 

Herd is 67 years old and specializes in ‘earthwork.’ It’s an art form, where he works on fields and grounds and transforms them into works of art. Herd started his career in ‘earthwork’ since he was 20 something years old in 1981. He explains that he knew the work would take creativity and hard work, but what he didn’t know was that it had a social aspect too. 

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He further wrote on his website that he had to learn many other skills to make his dream a reality. Those include communications, logistics, raising funds. And public relations. Given the magnanimity of his artworks, he had to ensure the legality of it first. 

Earthwork Artist Gives Minnesota A Facelift

His latest artwork spreads across 1.2-acres and reflects the “Olive Trees” by Van Gogh. 

Recreating the Van Gogh painting into an ‘earthwork’ did not come easy. Herd had to work continuously for six months. He had to manage every single detail of the painting. And on top of that, he had to mow, dig, and plant. The earthwork inspired by the Van Gogh painting was funded by the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 

Read: ARTIST CREATES DETAILED SAND SCULPTURES THAT LOOK SO REAL THAT PEOPLE CONFUSE THEM WITH LIVE ANIMALS

One great news for people flying to Minneapolis is that, if you are lucky, you will be able to see the earthwork. It is very close to the Minneapolis airport and can be enjoyed from an aerial view. 

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Everyone has their own way of expressing gratitude. Stan Herd’s way was to recreate a gigantic version of this Van Gogh painting. 

The first time Herd took up earthwork, was back in 1981. Many of us would be happy just taking a photo in the Kansas prairie. Not Herd. He created a picture of Satanta, a Kiowa Indian chief, using just dirt, flowers, and grass. This earthwork is 160-acre huge!

Artist Who Recreated The Van Gogh Painting Inspired Japanese Rice Paddy Artworks

To begin with his latest project, Herd printed out a picture of “Olive Trees.” He then made a grid on top of it to measure how it could be created on land. In an interview with MPRNews, he admitted that he had bitten a little more than he could handle. Deers ate some of his plants as he was planting them, while some of them were blown away. However, Herd continued saying that it was nature’s dance. 

Read: A 50 YEAR LONG JAPANESE EXPERIMENT RESULTED IN THESE AMAZING TREE ‘CROP CIRCLES’

And thank goodness, he continued! The finished product is just a visual treat to the eyes. Herd also said that whatever the result be, he enjoys the process the most. 

Stan Herd is a master at earthwork. He has created dozens of such monumental works all over the world. Furthermore, he is also noted for inspiring Japanese artists into creating rice paddy artworks. 

In an interview with Star Media, Herd said that the end result of his earthworks is never as he wants it to be. Whatever the artist’s opinion, his recreation of the Van Gogh painting has blown millions of netizens’ minds. 

Image Credit: Minneapolis Institute of Art / Stan Herd