From Yarns to Canvas: Modelling as a Path to Knowledge in Van Gogh’s Creative Process

Abstract Scientific modelling is widely used to simplify and understand complex phenomena, yet its role in artistic practices remains underexplored. This study examines how Vincent Van Gogh’s engagement with colour theory and cognitive modelling parallels scientific methodologies. By analyzing historical records, including letters to his brother Theo, Émile Bernard’s writings, and Van Gogh’s paintings from the Van Gogh Museum’s digital archive, I investigate how his "box of yarns" functioned as an experimental tool and model for studying colour interactions. Despite being limited to a specific period of Van Gogh's painting, this method played a fundamental role in the artist's evolution, facilitating the development of his expressive and highly textured brushstrokes. This investigation also reveals that the box of yarns represents the culmination of Van Gogh’s cognitive and creative journey, situated within the dynamics of complex adaptive systems. In particular, the Lotka–Volterra model provides a useful framework for interpreting the fluctuations in his painting production as the result of interactions between internal and material resources, emotional states, and environmental stimuli. These dynamics are further connected to the Four C Model of Creativity, mapping the artist’s work from experimental exploration to a lasting cultural impact. By reframing Van Gogh’s work through the use of modelling, this study challenges the conventional view of him as purely intuitive or tormented, positioning modelling as a key cognitive bridge between scientific reasoning and artistic creation.