Vincent van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter and one of the main precursors of modern art and expressionism.
Self-portrait from 1887.
The Journey to Artistry
Born in 1853 in Zundert, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands, van Gogh never expressed any interest or showed any talent for artistry as a child. It wasn't until the age of 27 that Vincent van Gogh decided to become an artist. By then, he had tried a variety of different professions, such as art dealer, preacher, and unpaid teacher. After being relocated to London in connection with his work for the art dealer Goupil & Cie, he suffered from depression. He turned to religion and worked for a while as a preacher in Belgium, before moving back in with his parents in Etten in 1881, where he began to paint. He worked hard to develop his skills and painted diligently, often outdoors. His brother Theo supported Vincent financially so that he could devote himself to art full time.
Vincent's parents, on the other hand, were very disappointed with their eldest son's choice of profession, as they believed that the life of an artist was synonymous with social failure. It didn't help that he fell in love with his cousin, who was a widow and wanted nothing to do with him. Vincent's persistent courtship of his cousin was not appreciated by the family, and after an argument with his father, he moved out of his parents' house on Christmas Day, 1881.
The Parisian Transformation
After moving around to various places including The Hague, Antwerp, and living again with his parents for a while, Vincent finally traveled to Paris in 1886. There he came into contact with the modern, avant-garde art movement, and became acquainted with artists such as Paul Gauguin. He discovered Claude Monet's colorful works and met the new generation of artists, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Emile Bernard.
During his time in Paris, Vincent developed his distinctive and unique style with clear colors. He transitioned from previously working in dark tones to painting in bright, clear colors with short brush strokes. Motifs of workers in the countryside gave way to cityscapes with cafes and boulevards. He also began to paint portraits, often with himself as the model, as models were relatively expensive to hire. He also found a source of inspiration in Japanese woodcuts, where their bold outlines and color contrasts had an immediate impact on his work.
His time in Arles with Paul Gauguin
After two years in Paris, Vincent grew tired of the hectic city life, and sought out the countryside in Provence where he settled in the small town of Arles. Here he worked enthusiastically painting fruit orchards in bloom and working peasants. Here he rented four rooms in a house and persuaded Paul Gauguin to move in with him. The two artists worked hard together and their collaboration resulted in some exceptional paintings. But they also had different views on art, which led to frequent and heated discussions. Their friendship ended abruptly after Vincent threatened Paul Gauguin with a razor blade and in anger cut off a piece of his own ear.
Van Goghs final years
Vincent's mental health had been unstable for several years, and he suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions. After the incident, he was admitted to the mental hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Despite illness, he continued to work, and his time at the hospital was one of the most productive in his life. In just one year, he created 150 paintings. During his time at the hospital in southern France, he even made some of his most famous paintings and drawings.
Despite seeming to recover for a while, Vincent never fully recovered. After years of depression and mental illness, Vincent van Gogh committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a revolver. He died two days later in the hospital, at the age of 37. He left behind a large collection of works - in just under a decade he created around 850 oil paintings and over 1,250 works on paper, most of them just in his last two years of life.
During his lifetime, Vincent van Gogh sold only a few works, but his bold style with dramatic colors and impulsive and expressive brush strokes made him one of the most influential artists in the history of Western art. Today, he is one of the world's most famous artists.