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Vincent van Gogh

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Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was a Dutch post-impressionist artist whose paintings are amongst the most popular and recognizable in history. His dramatic brushwork, exuberant palette, and mastery at capturing moments in time and light revolutionised art. Only recognised at the end of his life, his struggles and triumphs have coloured exactly what we imagine it is to be an artist.

Works like Sunflowers , Café Terrace at Night , and The Starry Night have transcended the world of painting to become iconic symbols, not only of a single artist but a whole time period and art movement. Van Gogh's unique way of looking at the world was ahead of its time with the consequence that, unable to earn a living from his work or reconcile his doubts as to the value of his achievements and overcome his mental crisis, he committed suicide, alone and penniless. Not only did van Gogh leave the world the great gift of his visionary paintings but his letters, written to his younger brother Theo (1857-1891) and others, give us a fascinating and, at times, heartbreaking insight into how Vincent battled rejection, indifference, and self-harm to achieve his goals in art and life.

Van Gogh painted around 870 oil paintings in his short career, as well as sketches and watercolours. In addition, we have a tremendous amount of detail on what Vincent got up to when he was not painting thanks to him being a prolific letter writer. The artist wrote over 650 letters to Theo, and 41 replies survive from Theo. His younger brother helped him financially and with materials throughout his career; he also gave advice regarding his art and kept Vincent up-to-date with developments in the art world. Another 100 or so letters survive written to other relatives and artists. Many letters contain sketches that can reveal the planning stage of paintings and their dates. Then there are the 43 self-portraits. Neither the letters nor the portraits are unbiased, naturally, but they mean we can pursue the career of the artist from multiple directions besides mere paint and canvas.

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 in Groot-Zundert, the Netherlands. His mother was Anna Cornelia Carbentus (1819-1907) and his father, Theodorus (1822-1885), was a pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church. Significantly, three of Vincent's uncles worked in the art trade . Vincent did well at school in Zevenbergen and Tilburg, and he took an interest in drawing. His drawing master at Tilburg, C. C. Huysmans, not only encouraged Vincent to copy old paintings, as was standard practice, but also, unusually, to copy nature. None of his surviving early drawings suggests the great talent within. In July 1869, Vincent joined the firm Goupil & Cie in the Hague branch. The company sold art prints and originals. Vincent did well, and in January 1873, he was transferred to the Brussels branch. In June, he moved to the London branch. Vincent continued to sketch, visited the capital's many galleries, and developed a taste for English poetry.

Between 1874 and 1875, Vincent transferred to the Paris branch of Goupil's, then returned to London, then was back in Paris. All was not well, and he was dismissed in the spring of 1876. Next followed a teaching post in Ramsgate, England , and then a teaching role under the auspices of a Reverend Jones, which saw him preach in various villages outside London. Unable, it seems, to settle anywhere for very long, Vincent next turned up selling books in Dordrecht as 1876 came to a close. By now intent on a career in the Church, Vincent moved to Amsterdam in May 1877 to prepare for the theological entrance exam. Meanwhile, he continued to sketch, this time focussing on landscapes.

Van Gogh seems to have been determined to bring some kind of religious consolation to the peasantry, and in July 1878, he tried to become an evangelical missionary. Spending three months training in Brussels, Vincent was a poor speaker and was not given a post, but he went anyway to a mining town in the Borinage region of Belgium in December 1878. Eventually gaining official support, Vincent then promptly lost it in July 1879 when it was discovered he had given away practically all of his belongings to the poor. Vincent continued on his one-man mission for another 12 months until his religious zeal was quenched. His art continued in sketch form, especially of miners, and he studied art theory books to improve his draughtsmanship. At some point in 1879, he made the definitive decision to become a full-time artist. By October 1880, he was back in Brussels and hoping to join the Academy of Art there, but he soon ran out of cash and was obliged to return to his parents' home in Etten in April 1881. By 1882, a trip to The Hague and his artist cousin Anton Mauve (a prominent member of The Hague School) had given Vincent the courage to begin to paint in watercolours, a move encouraged by Theo. It was in this period that Vincent's advances towards his cousin Kee Vos-Stricker were rebuffed. A brief visit home ended with a quarrel with his father, possibly over Vincent not wanting to attend church anymore. Back in The Hague and with the help of Mauve, Vincent set up his first studio.

Vincent van Gogh: A Gallery of 30 Paintings

A full-time artist.

With his attic studio at Shenkweg, The Hague, Vincent began to use as a model a seamstress and former prostitute, Clasina Maria Hoornik (called Sien). Vincent and Sien then lived together, the artist also supporting Sien's mother and his model's two children, an act of kindness which neither his parents nor fellow artists in The Hague approved of. Cousin Mauve withdrew his support, perhaps not impressed with Vincent's progress and after the two had argued on how to improve the technical side of his drawing. Vincent continued his own methodology, studying illustrations and experimenting in lithography. One typical sketch of this period is an old man with his head in his hands in despair; Vincent gave it the title At Eternity's Gate . A mark of his progress was a commission from his uncle Cornelis Marinus for a series of views of The Hague. Then, a visit from Theo in August 1882, who brought him the supplies, led to a move into oil painting. This was a risk since oil paints were expensive, but Vincent persevered, and his letters show that he revelled in the exploration of colours.

Theo was now essentially paying for Vincent's living costs, and to lessen the burden in September 1883, the artist moved to a cheaper location, Drenthe, leaving behind Sien. Not staying long, Vincent moved around the Netherlands, painting landscapes and labourers at work in the fields.

In December 1883, Vincent was back with his parents at Nuenen, although his studio was in the village. Theodorus van Gogh died in March 1885, and this put further strain on the artist's relationship with his family. He continued to paint, notably winter scenes and local weavers. A commission came for six sketches of peasant life, an all too rare case of Vincent contributing to his living costs, which were now being met by Theo with regular monthly payments. Another small source of cash was Vincent teaching a handful of local artists. Another episode of unrequited love hit Vincent when his marriage proposal to Margot Begemann, a neighbour, was refused, largely because of the disapproval of her family. Artistically, Vincent's work was maturing, and in April 1885, he produced his first great canvas, The Potato Eaters , a work he himself highly valued. He was also experimenting with brighter colours. In November 1885, Vincent was looking for new ideas, and he left for Antwerp, then in March 1886, after an unsuccessful stint studying at the Academy, he moved on to the very centre of the European art world in the late 19th century: Paris.

Vincent joined up with Theo in Paris, and the pair shared an apartment for the next two years. From his arrival in March, Vincent visited galleries, and he learnt first-hand from fellow artists of the new movement in art – impressionism – and its preoccupation with light and capturing a particular scene at a particular moment with quick brushstrokes and dramatic colours. Vincent studied under the painter Félix Cormon, copying plaster casts and exploring colours in still life works of flowers. He also encountered the Japanese prints that had become popular in Europe and which he greatly admired for their boldness of colour and composition. He painted panoramas of Paris, especially Montmartre, a whole series of windmills, and the first of his many self-portraits.

Vincent struggled to get any of his paintings exhibited, except by friends of the impressionists like "Père" Tanguy (1825-1894), who owned an art supplies shop in Montmartre, accepting paintings as payment for materials. Vincent painted Tanguy three times. Vincent organised his own exhibition of modern artists in the rooms of a restaurant in November-December 1887, showing many of his own paintings and by fellow artists like Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901). A few of the other works were sold, but none of Vincent's. The artist did sell a still life to a dealer in this period, and he often paid for meals in cafés by giving the proprietor a painting. His now-famous Self-portrait with Grey Hat (1887-8) belongs to this period, and the bold brushstrokes and use of colours demonstrate what is yet to come.

Southern France

Tired of the rivalry between artists in Paris and seeking warmer weather to boost his frail health, Vincent moved to Arles in the south of France in February 1888, where he began by far the most productive period of his career, rattling off countless paintings. While not isolated from company, Vincent did struggle to make meaningful relations with southern artists. Instead, he befriended people like Joseph Roulin, the local postman who he painted several times.

Vincent was impressed with the sunlight of southern France, and his palette was now bright and bold. The subjects are much simpler in composition than previous works (although he curiously ignored the many Roman ruins of the region). In the spring, he captured blossom trees in works like Pink Peach Trees . As summer came on, the sun and yellow fields were brilliantly captured in such works as the Sower with Setting Sun . He painted seascapes and captured more local colour at Sainte-Maries-de-la-Mer. Arles, though, dominates with scenes depicted in fiercely contrasting and saturated colours like the yellow and blue of the Café Terrace at Night and the red and green of The Night Café . By August, he had begun his startling series of sunflowers, created as a mere decoration for his home, the Yellow House. September's Starry Night over the Rhône shows that the artist is undaunted by the practicalities of impressionistic plein air (open-air) painting. His colours are now intense, the form and space are often exaggerated. Vivid monochrome backgrounds, often textured to contrast with the smoother main subject, mix with swirling brushstrokes of liberally-applied paint. He has blended impressionism with symbolism, where a painting is created to provoke the imagination and prompt an emotional response from the viewer. The inimitable van Gogh style has arrived.

Mental Instability

Vincent hoped to form an artist's community in Arles, and he invited such young painters as Gauguin and Emile Bernard (1868-1941). The former did come to Arles in October 1888, and the pair lived and worked together, both funded by Theo. The two painters influenced each other – Vincent's bright colours on Gauguin's palette, and Gauguin's encouragement that the Dutchman experiment with different subjects. Cooped up indoors as the mistral wind blew, the two strong characters often clashed, especially over art; Vincent described their arguments as "electric," and Gauguin describes even threats of violence. The crisis came on 23 December. After yet another argument, Gauguin spent the night in a hotel, and when he returned to the Yellow House the next morning, he was surprised to see the police. During the night, Vincent had cut off a part of his ear and presented it to a local prostitute. He was sent to hospital, and Theo was summoned from Paris. Gauguin left Arles immediately after the incident. Vincent put the attack down to a fever and lack of nutrition; by January, he was back painting, but more attacks of his illness, whatever it was, would follow.

In May 1889, Vincent voluntarily admitted himself to the asylum of Saint- Paul -de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Still the artist suffered attacks, but in between, he was permitted to continue painting. Like his spirits, Vincent's palette is now noticeably muted. Perhaps this return to more sober works was an attempt to recapture his earlier ambition of becoming a painter of northern peasant life. It may also be significant that he now created a new version of The Potato Eaters . Doctors at the asylum diagnosed the artist's illness as epilepsy. Studies in the 20th and 21st century have come up with other theories for the artist's mental instability, notably schizophrenia or the effects of syphilis (he was treated for a venereal disease while in The Hague) or overconsumption of absinthe or a combination of all four maladies. In his own letters, Vincent mentions "the artist's madness" (LT 574), but he makes little connection between his illness and his work; he treats them as being quite independent.

Making some improvement healthwise, Vincent was permitted to paint in the nearby fields and olive orchards, but another attack occurred during which he ate some of his oil paints. Intermittent attacks followed through to February 1890, and the recovery periods lengthened. In May 1890, following consultation with Theo and on the advice of Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Vincent went to consult with Dr Paul Gachet (1828-1909) in Auvers-sur-Oise in northern France. Gachet was a physician, heart specialist, and advocate of homoeopathy, he was also a good friend of the impressionists. Vincent stayed in a local inn and regularly visited Gachet, painting his portrait and the many flowers in his garden. Perhaps sensitive to an end of things, the artist was more prolific than ever, painting a new canvas almost every day.

Death & Legacy

On 27 July, van Gogh, after painting in a field, suffered another attack. He shot himself in the chest with a pistol but managed to drag himself back to his inn. Theo was once again called. Vincent was still alive when his brother arrived, but he died from his wound in the morning of 29 July. An added tragedy was that the artist was just beginning to arouse the interest of art critics. A few months prior to his death, some of Vincent's works had been exhibited in Paris and Brussels (where he sold a painting). The fallen artist was buried in the cemetery of Auvers.

Vincent van Gogh's works were exhibited from as early as the 1890s in Amsterdam, Paris, and elsewhere as the symbolism movement took off. Van Gogh came to be seen by some as a bridge between impressionism, with its concern with transient light and colour, and expressionism, which saw artists attempt to convey their exaggerated inner emotional turmoil. He is generally classed as a post-impressionist painter, someone who uses the techniques of impressionism but is also interested in symbolism and permanent emotional expression in their work. Whatever group he is placed within in the history of art, the public and collectors were in no doubt as to the value of his contribution. Van Gogh's paintings have commanded a price tag of millions of dollars at auctions from the mid-20th century onwards.

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Van Gogh is much more than just an artist, though. His choice to sign some of his paintings with a simple 'Vincent' has, along with his instantly recognisable style, his candid letters, and painful struggles with mental health, given the artist's life an intimacy that has helped personalise the relationship between artist and viewer like no other. The 'mad genius,' the 'tortured artist,' and the 'unrecognised talent' are all ideas that the van Gogh myth has contributed to world art and culture regardless of their validity. Few artists have captured our imaginations and intrigued us just as much by their lives as by their art like Vincent van Gogh has. This empathy is, perhaps, no accident, for it is precisely what Vincent strived to achieve: "I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart" (LT 218D).

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Bibliography

• Bouruet Aubortot, Veronique. Impressionism. Flammarion, 2017.
• Denvir, Bernard. Post-Impressionism . Thames & Hudson, 1992.
• Howard, Michael. Encyclopedia of Impressionism. Thunder Bay Pr, 1997.
• McQuillan, Melissa & Van Gogh, Vincent. Van Gogh . Thames & Hudson, 1989.
• Metzger, Rainer & Walther, Ingo F. Van Gogh. La obra completa - pintura . TASCHEN, 2015.
• Roe, Sue. The Private Lives of the Impressionists. Harper Perennial, 2007.
• Thomson, Belinda. Impressionism. Thames & Hudson, 2022.
• Van Gogh, Vincent (ed. Leeuw). The Letters of Vincent van Gogh . Penguin Classics, 1998.

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Who was Vincent van Gogh?

Vincent van Gogh

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• The Met - Biography of Vincent van Gogh
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• Table Of Contents

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter, generally considered to be the greatest after  Rembrandt van Rijn , and one of the greatest of the  Post-Impressionists . He sold only one artwork during his life, but in the century after his death he became perhaps the most recognized painter of all time.

What did Vincent van Gogh accomplish?

During his 10-year artistic career, Vincent van Gogh created a vivid personal style, noted for its striking colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms. His achievement is all the more remarkable for the brevity of his career and considering the poverty and mental illness that dogged him.

What were Vincent van Gogh’s jobs?

Vincent van Gogh’s career as an artist was extremely short, lasting only the 10 years from 1880 to 1890. Before that he had various occupations, including art dealer , language teacher, lay preacher, bookseller, and missionary worker.

How was Vincent van Gogh influential?

The work of Vincent van Gogh exerted a powerful influence on the development of much modern painting, notably Expressionism , in particular on the works of the  Fauve  painters,  Chaim Soutine , and the German Expressionists. 

What is Vincent van Gogh remembered for?

Vincent van Gogh is remembered for both the striking colour, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms of his art and for the turmoil of his personal life. In part because of his extensive published letters, van Gogh has been mythologized in the popular imagination as the quintessential tortured artist.

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Vincent van Gogh (born March 30, 1853, Zundert, Netherlands—died July 29, 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, France) was a Dutch painter, generally considered the greatest after Rembrandt van Rijn , and one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionists . The striking color, emphatic brushwork, and contoured forms of his work powerfully influenced the current of Expressionism in modern art. Van Gogh’s art became astoundingly popular after his death, especially in the late 20th century, when his work sold for record-breaking sums at auctions around the world and was featured in blockbuster touring exhibitions. In part because of his extensive published letters, van Gogh has also been mythologized in the popular imagination as the quintessential tortured artist.

Van Gogh, the eldest of six children of a Protestant pastor, was born and reared in a small village in the Brabant region of the southern Netherlands. He was a quiet, self-contained youth , spending his free time wandering the countryside to observe nature. At 16 he was apprenticed to The Hague branch of the art dealers Goupil and Co., of which his uncle was a partner.

Van Gogh worked for Goupil in London from 1873 to May 1875 and in Paris from that date until April 1876. Daily contact with works of art aroused his artistic sensibility, and he soon formed a taste for Rembrandt , Frans Hals , and other Dutch masters, although his preference was for two contemporary French painters, Jean-François Millet and Camille Corot , whose influence was to last throughout his life. Van Gogh disliked art dealing. Moreover, his approach to life darkened when his love was rejected by a London girl in 1874. His burning desire for human affection thwarted, he became increasingly solitary. He worked as a language teacher and lay preacher in England and, in 1877, worked for a bookseller in Dordrecht , Netherlands . Impelled by a longing to serve humanity, he envisaged entering the ministry and took up theology; however, he abandoned this project in 1878 for short-term training as an evangelist in Brussels . A conflict with authority ensued when he disputed the orthodox doctrinal approach. Failing to get an appointment after three months, he left to do missionary work among the impoverished population of the Borinage , a coal-mining region in southwestern Belgium. There, in the winter of 1879–80, he experienced the first great spiritual crisis of his life. Living among the poor, he gave away all his worldly goods in an impassioned moment; he was thereupon dismissed by church authorities for a too-literal interpretation of Christian teaching.

Penniless and feeling that his faith was destroyed, he sank into despair and withdrew from everyone. “They think I’m a madman,” he told an acquaintance, “because I wanted to be a true Christian. They turned me out like a dog, saying that I was causing a scandal.” It was then that van Gogh began to draw seriously, thereby discovering in 1880 his true vocation as an artist. Van Gogh decided that his mission from then on would be to bring consolation to humanity through art. “I want to give the wretched a brotherly message,” he explained to his brother Theo. “When I sign [my paintings] ‘Vincent,’ it is as one of them.” This realization of his creative powers restored his self-confidence.

Who are they?

Who is Vincent van Gogh?

You might know the name Van Gogh, but do you know who he really was?

Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers 1888 National Gallery, London

The man who painted Sunflowers

Vincent van Gogh is one of the world’s most famous painters. When you start school, one of the first artworks that you will ever look at is probably Van Gogh’s Sunflowers . This painting is very famous. Look at its bright yellows and the way each of the fourteen sunflowers are painted differently. Van Gogh painted Sunflowers for the room in the yellow house he was renting in Arles, France. His friend, the painter Paul Gauguin, was coming to visit and Van Gogh wanted to redecorate.

Why is he so famous?

Vincent van Gogh Starry Night over the Rhone 1889 Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Today, most people know the name Vincent van Gogh. However, when he was alive, he was not very famous at all. Since his death, he has become one of the most successful painters in history. People across the world have admired his unique style. If you look closely at his paintings, the brushstrokes are broken up. It is as if you can see each time Van Gogh put his brush on the canvas. Do you like this style?

In total, Van Gogh made around 2,100 artworks. So, if you only know Sunflowers , there are many more paintings by him to discover.

What inspired him?

Vincent van Gogh The Bedroom 1889 Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands, but travelled across Europe. He went to France, Belgium and England. When he was in London, he was inspired by all the art he saw in galleries. Van Gogh’s brother, Theo, worked in an art gallery and introduced Van Gogh to many artworks. Van Gogh was interested in painters who were painting everyday life.

When he was 27, he decided to become an artist. Up until then, he had been a teacher, a shop assistant and had dreams of working for the Church. All of these experiences inspired his art.

Why did he die so young?

Vincent van Gogh Self Portrait, Autumn 1889 National Gallery of Art (Washington, USA)

It is a really sad story. Van Gogh struggled with mental health problems. This meant that he sometimes felt very angry or sad and was not able to control his emotions. Sometimes, he would harm himself and have blackouts. Van Gogh used painting as a way to express his emotions and way to help with his illness.

Van Gogh’s did not get the help he needed and there was not the same understanding of mental health as there is today. Van Gogh felt alone and was not able to handle the pressure of his emotions. He died by suicide. He was only 37. It is sad to think of all the wonderful artworks he could have painted had he gotten better.

What did he paint?

Vincent van Gogh Farms near Auvers (1890) Tate

Van Gogh liked to paint the places he visited. When you look at his paintings, you can almost imagine you are there with him. In Farms near Auvers , the bright greens make you feel like you are standing in the French countryside. This painting was made towards the end of Van Gogh’s career. Earlier, he had used darker colours. As he grew older, he liked using lighter colours.

Van Gogh also liked painting portraits. He said that portraits were

'the only thing in painting that moves me deeply’

Van Gogh painted portraits of many different people he met, but he really liked painting portraits of himself. He made over 30 self-portraits. You can also try and paint your own self-portrait. Try looking at yourself in the mirror or in a photograph to get you inspired.

Vincent van Gogh The Oise at Auvers (1890) Tate

More to Explore

Create Art Like Van Gogh

Quiz: Which Artist Should Design Your Bedroom?

Quiz: Van Gogh Beat the Clock Challenge

Vincent van Gogh – The Art and Life of Painter Vincent Willem van Gogh

Vincent Willem van Gogh, the quintessential anguished artist, endeavored to express his psychological and metaphysical condition in every one of his masterpieces, such as The Starry Night and Van Gogh’s flower paintings. Vincent van Gogh’s paintings, with heavily layered, palpable brushwork produced in a vibrant, luxurious palette, reflect the creator’s distinguishable character immortalized on canvas. Every Vincent van Gogh artwork reveals a distinct impression of how the master interpreted every scenario, as experienced through his senses, thoughts, and emotions. Van Gogh’s painting style was radically unique and emotionally compelling, and it has profoundly influenced painters and trends all through the 20th century and continued to the modern-day, ensuring his relevance for the conceivable future.

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Childhood and Early Training
• 1.2 Mature Period
• 1.3 Later Years and Death
• 2.1.1 Portraits
• 2.1.2 Self-Portraits
• 2.1.3 Vincent van Gogh’s Flower Paintings
• 2.1.4 Olives and Cypresses
• 2.1.5 Orchards
• 2.1.6 Wheat Fields
• 2.2 Notable Artworks
• 3.1 The Letters of Vincent van Gogh (1998) by Vincent van Gogh
• 3.2 Van Gogh. The Complete Paintings (2020) by Ingo F. Walther
• 3.3 Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources (2022) by Eik Kahng
• 4.1 When Was Van Gogh Alive?
• 4.2 What Was Van Gogh’s Painting Style?

The Life of Vincent Willem van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh’s artworks sought to express humanity’s inherent spirituality which culminated in a synthesis of approach and substance that led to dynamic, expressive, and emotive compositions that express much more than the subject’s apparent appearances.

In this section, we will be looking at the life of Vincent Willem van Gogh and answering questions such as “When was Vincent van Gogh born?” and “When was Vincent van Gogh alive?” We will also be exploring his early formative years, as well as his mature period. This will give us some insight into the experiences that influenced Vincent van Gogh’s paintings .

Childhood and Early Training

Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born in the south of the Netherlands as the second of six siblings into a pious household. Theodorus Van Gogh, his father, was a preacher, and Anna Cornelia Carbentus, his mother, was a bookseller’s child. Van Gogh had unpredictable emotions as a youth and had little early enthusiasm for artwork, although excelling at language while studying at several boarding schools. He discontinued his education in 1868 and never resumed formal study.

In 1869, Vincent Van Gogh began his job as an intern in the Paris offices of worldwide artwork dealers Goupil & Cie, eventually operating in the Hague branch of the firm.

He was a rather competent art dealer who lasted with the business for over a decade. In 1872 he began penning letters to Theo, his brother. This contact lasted till the end of Vincent van Gogh’s lifetime. Theo would go on to become an art trader the following year, while Vincent was transferred to Goupil & Cie’s offices, which were based in London. Van Gogh felt despondent about this period and surrendered to God. After repeated movements between Paris and London, Van Gogh was fired from Goupil’s and chose to enter the priesthood.

He gave all his assets to local coal workers while residing in southern Belgium as a penniless missionary until the church fired him due to his excessively zealous adherence to his belief. Van Gogh resolved in 1880 that he could be an artist while still serving God, stating:

“To attempt to comprehend the actual importance of what the great painters, the serious masters, teach us in their creations, that connects to God; one person penned or conveyed it in a book; someone else, in a painting.”

Van Gogh was still a peasant, but Theo gave him some funds to help him get by. Vincent van Gogh produced almost no income from his paintings, thus Theo financially backed his elder brother throughout his lifetime. Van Gogh was obliged to return home with his family a year later, in 1881, when he taught himself the art of painting. With his brother’s support, Van Gogh traveled to the Hague, leased a workspace, and studied under Anton Mauve, a prominent member of the Hague Group. Mauve exposed Van Gogh to the works of Jean-François Millet, a French artist known for representing ordinary workers and farmers.

Mature Period

Van Gogh began painting the worn palms, faces, and other physical traits of laborers and the impoverished in 1884, after relocating to Nuenen, Netherlands, with the intention of becoming an artist of rural life similar to Millet. His private life was in chaos, despite the fact that he had discovered a professional vocation.

Van Gogh criticized Theo for not working sufficiently hard enough to promote his artworks, to which Theo responded that Vincent’s gloomy palette was out of fashion in comparison to the bright and colorful manner of the Impressionist painters who were prominent at the time.

Their father passed away suddenly of a stroke on the 26th of March, 1885, placing expectations on Van Gogh to attain a successful career. Following this period, he finished The Potato Eaters (1885), the very first of van Gogh’s large-scale creations and masterpieces. In 1885 the young artist left the Netherlands, enrolling at the Antwerp’s Academy of Fine Arts.

There, he found the works of Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens , whose whirling shapes and free brushstrokes had a significant influence on the young creator’s approach. The severity of the school’s academic standards, on the other hand, was not at all appealing to the artist, and he left for Paris the year after.

He relocated to Montmartre with Theo, Paris’s artistic district, and studied with painter Fernand Cormon, who introduced him to the Impressionists.

Van Gogh was inspired to use a brighter palette by the example of painters such as Camille Pissarro , Claude Monet, and Georges Seurat, as well as pressures from Theo to produce canvases. Van Gogh had a significant obsession with Japanese prints for a period that lasted from 1886 until around 1888 and began researching and collecting them with passion, even organizing an exhibition of them in a Parisian diner. In late 1887, Van Gogh organized an exhibit with his peers Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Emile Bernard, and in early 1888, he exhibited at the Theatre Libre d’Antoine with the Neo-impressionists Paul Signac and Georges Seurat.

Later Years and Death

The bulk of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings were created during his last couple of years of life. Throughout the autumn and winter of 1888, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh lived and produced in Arles, where Van Gogh eventually rented the “Yellow House” because of its grapefruit color. The move to Provence began as an idea for a new creator’s community in Arles as an alternative to Paris, and it came at a critical point in each of the artists’ professions.

Van Gogh and Gauguin collaborated closely in the “Yellow House” and established a notion of color that was emblematic of inner emotion and not based on nature.

Despite his immense output, Van Gogh suffered from mental illness , which most likely included seizures, psychotic symptoms, hallucinations, and bipolar illness. Gauguin moved for Tahiti, partly to get away from Van Gogh’s increasingly unstable conduct. After a particularly violent confrontation in which Van Gogh assaulted Gauguin with a knife and eventually hacked off part of his ear, the artist sneaked away. Van Gogh deliberately took himself to a psychiatric facility in Saint-Remy, on the 8th of May, 1889, suffering from his declining mental state. His psychological state remained stable all throughout the following weeks, and he was allowed to commence creating.

This was amongst his busiest periods.

Van Gogh finished nearly 100 canvases throughout his time in Saint-Remy, notably The Starry Night (1889). The facility and its gardens were his major topics, which he depicted with the powerful brushstrokes and luscious colors that characterized his mature phase. Van Gogh immersed himself in the natural environs during supervised excursions, eventually reproducing from recollection the olives and cypress bushes, irises, and other flora that dotted the clinic’s grounds.

Van Gogh traveled to Auvers-Sur-Oise shortly after leaving the institution, to the care of Dr. Gachet, a homeopathy practitioner and amateur painter. The practitioner encouraged Van Gogh to produce as part of his recovery, which he eagerly consented to.

He meticulously chronicled his surroundings in Auvers, producing around one painting every day in the final months of his life.

However, once Theo revealed his intention to start his own firm and indicated that cash would be scarce for a while, Van Gogh’s sadness worsened dramatically. He walked into a neighboring wheat field on the 27th of July, 1890, and wounded himself in the torso with a handgun.

Throughout art history , there are clear traces of Van Gogh’s enormous influence. The Fauves and German Expressionists followed Van Gogh’s lead and embraced his personal and spiritually motivated use of color. The Abstract Expressionists of the mid-20th century employed Van Gogh’s technique of large, emotive brushwork to reflect the creator’s mental and physical state.

Neo-Expressionists like Eric Fischl and Julian Schnabel were inspired by His expressive palette and brushstrokes in the 1980s. His life has influenced music and several films in mainstream culture. Van Gogh’s fame developed rapidly among painters, critics, traders, and collectors following his initial exhibits in the late 1880s. In 1887, André Antoine exhibited Vincent Van Gogh’s artworks alongside those of Paul Signac at the Théâtre Libre in Paris, and Julien Tanguy acquired six of them.

Albert Aurier defined Vincent van Gogh’s painting style in Le Moderniste Illustré in 1889 as “flame, passion, sunlight.”

Vincent Van Gogh’s art was reported to have captivated French President Marie François Sadi Carnot. Memorial shows were staged in The Hague, Brussels, Paris, and Antwerp following Van Gogh’s death. His art was featured in various high-profile exhibits, including six works at Les XX, and a retrospective display in Brussels in 1891.

Octave Mirbeau stated in 1892 that Van Gogh’s death was a “vastly grimmer loss for art” because “the masses have not congested to a splendid memorial service, and impoverished Vincent van Gogh, whose downfall implies the demise of a gorgeous torch of brilliance, has disappeared to his death as unknown and ignored as he lived.”

Van Gogh’s renown peaked in Germany and Austria prior to World War I, aided by the publishing of his letters in 1914. His letters are passionate and intelligent and have been hailed as among the best of their sort from the 19th century. These started a powerful mythos of Van Gogh as a passionate and committed artist who struggled and died for his craft.

Inspired by Van Gogh’s letters to Theo, author Irving Stone created Lust for Life , a historical book about Van Gogh’s life, in 1934. This work and the 1956 picture increased his renown, particularly in the United States, where Stone estimated that just a few hundred individuals had been aware of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings previous to his unexpected best-selling book.

Vincent van Gogh’s Art Style and Works

While in school, Van Gogh sketched and colored with watercolors, but just a few examples exist, and the authorship of several has been disputed. When he began studying painting as an adult, he began at the simplest level. In 1882, Cornelis Marinus, the proprietor of a well-known modern art gallery in Amsterdam, requested sketches of The Hague.

Van Gogh’s work fell short of expectations.

Marinus proposed a second contract, this time describing the subject matter in great detail, but was dissatisfied once more. Van Gogh persisted; at his studio, he played with lighting by utilizing varied shutters and various sketching mediums. For well over a year, he focused on single figures — incredibly complex white and black studies that drew only ridicule at the time.

They were later recognized as pioneering masterpieces. Theo offered his brother money in August 1882 to buy supplies for working en plein air . Van Gogh stated that he might now “paint with fresh verve.” He began working on multi-figure compositions in early 1883. He photographed some of them, but when his brother commented that they lacked vibrancy and vitality, he trashed them and switched to oil painting. Van Gogh sought technical help from well-known Hague School artists such as Blommers, as well as painters such as Van der Weele.

When he relocated to Nuenen following his time in Drenthe, he started numerous enormous works but ruined most of them.

Only The Potato Eaters and their accompanying pieces have survived. After a trip to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh expressed his love for the Dutch Masters’ fast, efficient brushstrokes, particularly Frans Hals and Rembrandt. He recognized that many of his flaws stemmed from a shortage of expertise and technical knowledge, so he traveled to Antwerp and eventually Paris in November 1885 to acquire and expand his talents.

Theo chastised The Potato Eaters for their gloomy hue, which he felt was inappropriate for a current design. During his sojourn in Paris between 1886 and 1887, Van Gogh attempted to master a new, brighter palette. His Portrait of Père Tanguy (1887) demonstrates his skill with a more vivid palette and demonstrates a maturing manner. Charles Blanc’s color treatise piqued his curiosity and inspired him to explore with complimentary colors.

Van Gogh grew to feel that color’s influence extended beyond the analytical; he stated that “color communicates something in itself.” Color, according to Van Gogh, has an “emotional and ethical significance,” as seen by the gaudy greens and reds of The Night Café (1888), a piece he intended to “convey the tragic impulses of humanity.”

Yellow had the most meaning for him since it represented emotional reality. He utilized the color yellow to represent sunlight, health, and God.

Van Gogh aspired to be an artist of country life and nature and utilized his new palette to create vistas and traditional country life during his first summers in Arles. His conviction in the existence of power behind the natural compelled him to strive to convey a feeling of that force, or the spirit of nature, in his work, often via the use of symbols.

Van Gogh’s sower paintings, which he initially imitated from Jean-François Millet, depict his theological beliefs: the sower as Christ spreading vitality beneath the burning sun.

These were topics and ideas that he frequently revisited to rethink and improve. Vincent van Gogh’s flower paintings are rich in symbolism, but rather than using conventional Christian imagery, he created his own, in which life is experienced under the sunlight and labor is an emblem of life. After creating spring blooms and attempting to capture brilliant sunshine in Arles, he was able to execute The Sower (1888).

Van Gogh preferred to paint in what he termed the “guise of truth,” and he was disdainful of excessively stylized works. He later remarked that Starry Night’ s abstraction had proceeded too far and that realism had “faded away too much in the distance.” Hughes characterizes it as a time of profound visual ecstasy: the lights are in a big swirl, evocative of Hokusai’s Great Wave, the motion in heaven above is mirrored by the action of the cypress on the ground below, and the artist’s perception is “transformed into a thick, forceful stream of paint.”

Francis Bacon created a collection of works in 1957 on replicas of The Painter on the Road to Tarascon . Van Gogh’s original was unfortunately lost during WWII. Bacon was motivated by a “ghostly” image and saw Van Gogh as an ostracised outsider, a position that resonated with him. Bacon agreed with Van Gogh’s painting ideas and referenced remarks addressed to Theo:

“True artists do not depict objects as they are, they depict them as they perceive them to be.”

Van Gogh seemed to have been constructing an oeuvre, a collection that expressed his own vision and might be economically successful, between 1885 and his death in 1890. Blanc’s notion of style, that a real painting requires perfect use of color, perspective, and brushstrokes, affected him. Van Gogh used the term “purposeful” to describe works he believed he had perfected, as opposed to studies.

He painted a number of series of studies, the majority of which were still lifes, many of which were done as color experiments or as gifts for friends. The Sower, The Night Cafe, Memory of the Garden in Etten , and Starry Night were among the works he considered to be the most important from that period.

Major Series

Van Gogh’s aesthetic advancements are typically related to the time he spent living in various locations around Europe. He tended to integrate himself in native customs and lighting situations, yet maintaining a highly unique aesthetic perspective throughout. His development as an artist was sluggish, and he was conscious of his limits as a painter.

He traveled about a lot, maybe to introduce himself to fresh visual stimuli and, as a result, to increase his technical expertise.

Melissa McQuillan, an art historian, says the shifts also represent subsequent style developments, and that Van Gogh utilized them to avoid confrontation and as a coping technique when the optimistic artist was confronted with the reality of his current circumstances.

The portraits provided Van Gogh with his finest opportunity to earn money. They were “the only thing in art that touches me deeply and gives me a feeling of the limitless,” he claimed. He told his sister that he wanted to create portraits that would last and that he would utilize color to portray their feelings and personalities rather than trying for photographic realism.

Van Gogh’s portraits are generally devoid of those closest to him; he rarely depicted Van Rappard, Theo, or Bernard.

His mother’s portraits were created from pictures. In December 1888, he painted La Berceuse, a figure he considered to be as magnificent as his sunflowers. It features a restricted palette, diverse brushstrokes, and straightforward shapes. It looks to be a collection of portraits of the Roulin family painted in Arles during November and December of that year. The portraits illustrate a stylistic transition from The Postman ‘s flowing, controlled brushstrokes and even texture to Madame Roulin with Baby’ s frenzied manner, rough surface, wide brushstrokes, and use of a palette knife.

Self-Portraits

Between 1885 and 1889, Van Gogh painted more than 43 self-portraits. They were frequently finished in groups, such as those produced in Paris in mid-1887, and lasted until his death in 1890. Generally, the portraits were studies done at introspective moments when he was hesitant to mingle with people or when he had limited models and had to paint himself.

The self-portraits reveal an extremely high level of self-criticism.

They were frequently created to commemorate significant events in his life; for instance, the mid-1887 Paris series was painted around the time when he became conscious of Paul Cézanne , Claude Monet, and Signac. Heavy paint strains expand forth over the canvas in Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat . “With its carefully regulated repetitive brushwork and the peculiar aura derived from the Neo-impressionist arsenal, it was what Van Gogh himself dubbed an “intentional work.” They include a diverse range of physiognomical representations.

Van Gogh’s mental and physical health are typically visible; he may seem disheveled, unkempt, or with a scruffy beard, with profoundly sunken eyes, a weakened jaw, or missing teeth. Some depict him as having large lips, a lengthy face with a broad cranium, or pointed, alert characteristics. His hair is usually red, although it may sometimes be ash-colored.

Van Gogh’s glance is rarely aimed at the observer. The intensity and color of the pictures vary, and the brilliant colors, especially in those produced after December 1888, show the weary pallor of his complexion.

Some represent the artist as having a beard, while others do not. He can be seen with gauze in pictures taken immediately after he injured his ear. Only in a handful of them does he depict himself as a painter. Those that were created in Saint-Rémy depict the head from the right-hand side, which would have been the side directly opposite his wounded ear, as he would have portrayed himself mirrored in his reflection.

Vincent van Gogh’s Flower Paintings

Van Gogh created various flower-filled landscapes, including lilacs, roses, irises, and, of course, sunflowers. Some of his works illustrate his studies in the language of color. There are two groups of sunflowers that are fading. The first, painted in Paris in 1887, depicts flowers on the ground. The second set, of blooms in a vase in the early dawn light, was finished a year later in Arles.

Both are constructed from densely layered paintings that, according to the London National Gallery, evoke the “look of seed-heads.”

Van Gogh was not worried about infusing his works with subjectivity and feeling in these series; rather, the two series are designed to demonstrate his technical proficiency and methods of work to Gauguin, who was going to visit.

The 1888 artworks were painted during the artist’s uncommon time of optimism. In August 1888, Vincent van Gogh wrote to Theo, “I’m working with the enthusiasm of a Marseillais devouring bouillabaisse, which won’t astonish you when it comes to depicting enormous sunflowers. If I implement this design, there will be about a dozen panels. As a result, the entire thing will be a blue and yellow symphony. I work on it every morning, beginning at sunrise. Because the flowers wilt rapidly, and it’s best to accomplish everything at once.”

In preparation for Gauguin’s arrival, the sunflowers were created to decorate the walls, and Van Gogh put individual works throughout the Yellow House’s guest room in Arles. Gauguin was blown away and eventually purchased two of the Paris replicas. Nowadays, the series’ major pieces are among his most well-known, acclaimed for the sickening implications of the color yellow and its connection with the Yellow House, the abstract expressionism of the brushwork, and their juxtaposition against frequently gloomy backdrops.

Olives and Cypresses

In Arles, he became enamored with cypress trees, which he depicted in 15 paintings. He breathed new life into the trees, which had previously been portrayed as symbols of death. He began his series of cypresses at Arles with the trees in the background, as windbreaks in meadows; at Saint-Rémy, he moved them to the forefront.

“Cypresses still preoccupy me, I would want to produce something with them like my paintings of sunflowers,” Vincent van Gogh wrote to Theo in May 1889, adding, “They are magnificent in form and proportions like an Egyptian obelisk.”

Van Gogh produced many smaller copies of Wheat Field with Cypresses at the behest of his sister Wil in mid-1889. Swirls and heavily painted impasto characterize the pieces, which include The Starry Night , in which cypresses dominated the forefront. Other significant paintings on cypresses are Road with Cypress and Star (1890), and Cypresses with Two Figures (1890).

During the final six months of 1889, he also completed at least fifteen canvases of olive trees, a subject he found challenging and captivating. Among these paintings are Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background (1889), of which Van Gogh said in a letter to his brother, “Finally I have an olive landscape.”

Van Gogh spent a lot of time outside the institution at Saint-Rémy, painting trees in the olive gardens.

Natural life is represented as twisted and arthritic as though a personification of the natural world in these paintings, which are filled with “a continual field of force of which creation is a representation,” according to Hughes.

The Flowering Orchards was one of the first sets of paintings Van Gogh painted after his stay in Arles in February 1888. The 14 paintings are upbeat, joyful, and graphically descriptive of the approaching spring. They are exquisitely sensitive and devoid of life. He painted quickly, and while he contributed a kind of Impressionism to this series, a strong feeling of his own style began to develop during this era.

The transience of the flowering trees and the passage of the season appeared to correspond with his feeling of impermanence and hope for a new beginning in Arles.

During the spring flowering of the trees, he discovered “a universe of themes that could not have been more Japanese.” During this time, Van Gogh perfected the usage of lighting by subduing shadows and portraying trees as if they were the light source – almost in a religious way. He produced another smaller set of orchards the next year, entitled View of Arles, Flowering Orchards . Van Gogh was captivated by the environment and greenery of southern France, and he frequently visited agricultural gardens near Arles.

His palette was substantially heightened by the brilliant light of the Mediterranean environment.

Wheat Fields

During his travels to the region near Arles, Van Gogh went on various painting expeditions. He painted crops, wheat fields, as well as other countryside monuments in the region, such as The Old Mill (1888), a lovely edifice edging the wheat fields across. Van Gogh depicted the scene from his window in The Hague, Antwerp, and Paris at various times. These paintings resulted in The Wheat Field series, which captured the vista from his hospital rooms at Saint-Rémy.

Many of the later works are gloomy yet ultimately uplifting, and they depict Van Gogh’s quest to regain clear mental health right up to his death. Nonetheless, several of his later pieces indicate his growing misgivings.

Van Gogh stated in a letter from Auvers in July 1890 that he had gotten immersed “in the huge plain against the hills, endless as the sea, exquisite golden.” In May, when the wheat was new and green, Van Gogh was attracted by the fields. His Wheatfields at Auvers with White House depicts a more muted palette of yellows and blues, creating an exquisite harmony.

Van Gogh described “huge fields of wheat beneath disturbed sky” to Theo around the 10th of July, 1890.

Wheatfield with Crows (1890) depicts the artist’s mental condition in his dying days, as described by Hulsker as a “doom-filled picture with ominous clouds and ill-omened crows.”  Its dark color and thick brushstrokes evoke a sense of foreboding.

Notable Artworks

As we have seen, Vincent van Gogh created many types of artworks. However, out of his total output, some works of art stand out. Here is a list of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings that are beloved and well-known.

• The Potato Eaters (1885)
• Irises (1889)
• The Starry Night (1889)
• Self-Portrait (1889)
• Almond Blossom (1890)
• Wheatfield with Crows (1890)
• Farms near Auvers (1890)

Recommended Reading

Did you enjoy learning more about Vincent van Gogh’s paintings and life? We have tried to cover a substantial amount of information about the artist, but maybe you would like to learn even more. If so, you can find a list of books that we can recommend that will allow you to dive even deeper into Vincent van Gogh’s artwork and lifetime.

The Letters of Vincent van Gogh (1998) by Vincent van Gogh

Very few painters’ communications are as direct as Van Gogh’s, and the collection shown here, which spans his complete career in the arts, sheds light on every facet of this complex and troubled man’s work and life. Instead of indicating that Van Gogh was capable of profound spiritual and emotional depths, the letters challenge the conventional picture of him as an anti-social maniac and a victim to art.

They frankly and convincingly address his theological struggles, his ill-fated search for love, his tumultuous relationship with his brother Theo, and his battles with mental illness. Above all, they are a passionate personal tale of artistic evolution and a one-of-a-kind portrayal of the creative process. Explanatory biographical paragraphs connect the letters, exposing Van Gogh’s inner voyage as well as the outside realities of his existence. This volume contains the original artwork that accompanied the letters.

• Letters that span the whole of Vincent van Gogh's artistic career
• Shedding light on every facet of the artist's life and works
• An intense personal narrative of artistic development and creation

Van Gogh. The Complete Paintings (2020) by Ingo F. Walther

Vincent van Gogh’s paintings certainly rank up there along with the most admired in the world today. In works like van Gogh’s flower paintings, The Starry Night, and Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, we see an artist who is unusually skilled at representing texture and tone, light, and location. Nonetheless, van Gogh faced not only the apathy of his modern audience but also catastrophic spells of mental illness during his lifetime.

His bouts of despair and worry would finally take his life, as he committed suicide soon after his 37th birthday in 1890. This exhaustive study of Vincent van Gogh includes a complete gallery of his paintings as well as articles tracing the life and career of a genius who remains to tower over the world of art to this very day.

• A comprehensive study of Vincent van Gogh
• Offering a complete catalog of all 871 paintings
• With writings and essays that chart the life and work of the artist

Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources (2022) by Eik Kahng

Vincent van Gogh’s unique style arose from a great appreciation for and affinity to the 19th-century art scene. This new look at Van Gogh’s inspirations delves into the artist’s ties with Barbizon School artists Georges Michel, Jean-François Millet as well as Realists like Léon Lhermitte. Van Gogh’s imitation of Adolphe Monticelli, his assimilation of the Hague School via Jozef Israels, and his intense interest in the works of the Impressionists are all explored in new studies. This lavishly illustrated book also covers Van Gogh’s devotion to Eugène Delacroix’s colorism.

• A revelatory resituation of Van Gogh’s familiar works
• A fresh look at Van Gogh's influence and his artistic relationships
• A fascinating deep dive into the artist's sources of inspiration

We hope you have enjoyed this in-depth look into the life and art of the incredible Vincent van Gogh. Vincent Willem Van Gogh, the prototypical unhappy artist, attempted to communicate his psychological and spiritual state in all of his works, including Starry Night and Van Gogh’s flower paintings. Vincent van Gogh’s paintings, with thickly layered, tactile brushwork done in a brilliant, sumptuous palette, capture the artist’s distinct personality on canvas. Every Vincent van Gogh painting conveys a particular idea of how the master viewed each scene as experienced via his senses, thoughts, and emotions. Van Gogh’s painting style was fundamentally different and emotionally appealing, and it significantly affected painters and movements throughout the 20th century and into the present, assuring his significance for the foreseeable future.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was van gogh alive.

When was Vincent van Gogh Born? His birthdate was on the 30th of March in 1853. He passed away from suicide on the 29th of July in 1890.

What Was Van Gogh’s Painting Style?

Many people regard Van Gogh’s writings to be an additional sort of artwork since they feature drawings of works, he was working on or had recently completed. These sketches demonstrate van Gogh’s development and the advancement of his masterwork. Van Gogh painted with gloomy and somber hues that fitted his themes at the time, primarily miners and rural farm laborers, throughout his early career. However, when he arrived in Paris in 1886, his style shifted dramatically, inspired by the works of the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists.

Isabella studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature & Language and Psychology. Throughout her undergraduate years, she took Art History as an additional subject and absolutely loved it. Building on from her art history knowledge that began in high school, art has always been a particular area of fascination for her. From learning about artworks previously unknown to her, or sharpening her existing understanding of specific works, the ability to continue learning within this interesting sphere excites her greatly.

Her focal points of interest in art history encompass profiling specific artists and art movements, as it is these areas where she is able to really dig deep into the rich narrative of the art world. Additionally, she particularly enjoys exploring the different artistic styles of the 20 th century, as well as the important impact that female artists have had on the development of art history.

Learn more about Isabella Meyer and the Art in Context Team .

Cite this Article

Isabella, Meyer, “Vincent van Gogh – The Art and Life of Painter Vincent Willem van Gogh.” Art in Context. February 22, 2022. URL: https://artincontext.org/vincent-van-gogh/

Meyer, I. (2022, 22 February). Vincent van Gogh – The Art and Life of Painter Vincent Willem van Gogh. Art in Context. https://artincontext.org/vincent-van-gogh/

Meyer, Isabella. “Vincent van Gogh – The Art and Life of Painter Vincent Willem van Gogh.” Art in Context , February 22, 2022. https://artincontext.org/vincent-van-gogh/ .

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The Most Famous Artists and Artworks

Discover the most famous artists, paintings, sculptors…in all of history! 

MOST FAMOUS ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS

Discover the most famous artists, paintings, sculptors!

Vincent's Life, 1853-1890

Vincent van Gogh decided to become an artist at the age of 27. That decision would change his life and art history forever. Read Vincent's biography.

Biography, 1853 -1873

Young Vincent

Biography, 1873 -1881

Looking for a Direction

Biography, 1881-1883

First Steps as an Artist

Biography, 1883 - 1885

Peasant Painter

Biography, 1886 - 1888

From Dark to Light

Biography, 1888 - 1889

South of France

Biography, 1889 - 1890

Hospitalization

Biography, 1890

Vincent's Final Months

Biography, 1890 - 1973

After Vincent's Death

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The 10 best movies about Vincent Van Gogh

"Self-portrait" by Vincent Van Gogh using the Pointillism technique, 1887 - WikiCommons

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1. lust for life (1956).

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8. martin scorcese – dreams, 9. jacques dutronc – van gogh.

10. Andy Serkis – Power Of Art

Exploring 10 of van gogh’s masterpieces portrayed in movies, 1. the starry night (1889) – “moulin rouge” (1952), 2. sunflowers (1888) – “dr. zhivago” (1965), 3. the bedroom (1889) – “lust for life” (1956), 4. irises (1889) – “a beautiful mind” (2001), 5. wheatfield with crows (1890) – “doctor who” (2010 episode “vincent and the doctor”), 6. the cafe terrace at night (1888) – “cafe society” (1989), 7. self-portrait with bandaged ear (1889) – “loving vincent” (2017), 8. the potato eaters (1885) – “the theory of everything” (2014), 9. almond blossoms (1888) – “akira” (1988), 10. the church at auvers (1890) – “enter the void” (2009).

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Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh. Self-Portrait , 1887. Joseph Winterbotham Collection.

During Vincent van Gogh’s tumultuous career as a painter, he created a revolutionary style characterized by exaggerated forms, a vivid color palette, and loose, spontaneous handling of paint. Although he only actively pursued his art for five years before his death in 1890, his impact has lived on through his works.

In 1886 Van Gogh left his native Holland and settled in Paris, where his beloved brother, Theo, was a paintings dealer. In the two years he spent in Paris, Van Gogh painted no fewer than two dozen self-portraits. The Art Institute’s early, modestly sized example displays the bright palette he adopted with an overlay of small, even brushstrokes, a response to the Pointillist technique Georges Seurat used, most notably in A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884 . Works such as Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy (Asnières) ; Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples ; and Cypresses show the influence of the Impressionists.

Exhausted with the Parisian city life, Van Gogh moved on to the town of Arles in 1888. It was here that he created compositions of such personal importance that he repeated them several times, such as The Bedroom and Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle (La berceuse) , with slight variations on each repetition.

After experiencing several bouts of mental illness, at the time diagnosed as epilepsy, Van Gogh was admitted to the Asylum of Saint Paul in Saint-Rémy. There he sketched and painted the grounds of the asylum and the town around him. On days when he was unable to go out, he copied works by other artists, such as The Drinkers , after a wood engraving of the same title by Honoré Daumier. 

Van Gogh spent the last few months of his life in Auvers-sur-Oise, a small town to the north of Paris. Here, he continued drawing and painting the town and those around him, capturing people, landscapes, houses, and flowers in his work until his untimely death. The Art Institute of Chicago has celebrated van Gogh’s path-breaking work in the exhibitions Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South (2001–2002) and Van Gogh’s Bedrooms (2016).

• The Bedroom, 1889 Vincent van Gogh
• Self-Portrait, 1887 Vincent van Gogh
• The Poet’s Garden, 1888 Vincent van Gogh
• A Peasant Woman Digging in Front of Her Cottage, c. 1885 Vincent van Gogh
• The Drinkers, 1890 Vincent van Gogh
• Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy (Asnières), 1887 Vincent van Gogh
• Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle (La berceuse), 1889 Vincent van Gogh
• Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre, Early 1887 Vincent van Gogh
• Grapes, Lemons, Pears, and Apples, 1887 Vincent van Gogh
• Weeping Tree, 1889 Vincent van Gogh
• Weeping Woman, 1883 Vincent van Gogh
• Tetards (Pollards), 1884 Vincent van Gogh

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• Article On the Wall of Van Gogh’s Bedroom

Throbbing with the hum of life, this garden is as inviting as the artist’s iconic bedroom. Curator Kevin Salatino tells us why.

• Exhibition Closed Van Gogh’s Bedrooms Feb 14 – May 10, 2016
• Exhibition Closed Van Gogh: In Search Of Feb 16 – May 9, 2016
• Exhibition Closed Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South Sep 22, 2001 – Jan 13, 2002
• Exhibition Closed Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde Feb 17 – May 13, 2007
• Exhibition Closed Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre Jul 16 – Oct 10, 2005
• Print Publication Van Gogh’s Bedrooms
• Print Publication Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South
• Exhibition Closed Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape May 14 – Sep 4, 2023
• Exhibition Closed Pure Drawing: Seven Centuries of Art from the Gray Collection Jan 25–Mar 13, 2020 | July 30–Oct 12, 2020

Explore Further

Related artworks.

• A Family Meal, 1890s (?) Evert Pieters
• A Roadside Tavern, 1863 Johan Barthold Jongkind
• Entrance to the Port of Honfleur, 1863/64 Johan Barthold Jongkind
• The Church of Overschie, 1866 Johan Barthold Jongkind
• Fishing Boats in a Calm, 1651 Jan van de Cappelle
• Travellers Arriving at an Inn, 1630/40 Pieter De Neyn
• Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet, c. 1630/35 Jan Lievens
• Wooded Landscape with Cottage and Horseman, 1663 Meindert Hobbema
• The Rommel-Pot Player, c. 1630 Follower of Frans Hals
• Portrait of a Woman, c. 1655 Dutch School
• Still Life with Ostrich Egg Cup and the Whitfield Heirlooms, c. 1670 Pieter Gerritsz. van Roestraeten
• Jacob’s Farewell to Benjamin, 1650/60 Follower of Rembrandt van Rijn
• Portrait of a Young Girl, 1633/35 Pieter Dubordieu

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The Final Years of Vincent van Gogh

On July 27, 1890, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh shot himself with a 7mm revolver in Auvers-sur-Oise, a village less than an hour north of Paris. He died two days later, at age 37. Van Gogh had come to Auvers some 10 weeks earlier after two years in the South of France, where a mental breakdown resulted in a lengthy stint in an asylum. Van Gogh hoped his new surroundings would restore his frail psyche, to no avail. But his painful last years and final days would also see him create much of the art that made him a legend.

Van Gogh and his brother were devoted to each other

Born in March 1853, van Gogh was the eldest of five surviving children born to Anna and Theodorus, a Protestant minister. He had a peripatetic early career, working for an art dealer in the Netherlands and London, as a missionary to a poor community in Belgium and briefly (but seriously) considering becoming a minister himself.

Throughout his life, van Gogh experienced periods of psychological and physical isolation, instability and depression. He was often malnourished and in ill health, and he suffered a series of thwarted romantic relationships with women. It was only in his late 20s that he fully turned to art, encouraged in part by his younger brother Theo, a Paris-based art dealer. The two were devoted to each other. Theo provided emotional and financial support for Vincent, and the brothers exchanged hundreds of letters.

Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886. Theo had little success in marketing his brother’s work (van Gogh sold just one painting during his lifetime), but he did introduce Vincent to the flourishing avant-garde French art scene, including painters Georges Seurat , Camille Pissarro and Paul Gaugin . Van Gogh and Gaugin became close friends. When van Gogh decided to move to Arles in February 1888, he hoped to entice Gaugin and others to join him in establishing an artist’s colony there.

He cut off his left earlobe after a fight with another artist

The landscape and unique light of southern France unleashed van Gogh’s creativity, and his paintings and palette took on new depths of color and emotion. He worked quickly and constantly, churning out 300 oil paintings, drawings and watercolors. He rented rooms in a local building, the Yellow House, using it as a studio for several months while he lived in a series of inns nearby. He painted portraits of his landlords, acquaintances and the town’s residents, who looked upon him as talented, but volatile, high-strung and unusual.

In October 1888, Gaugin finally arrived in Arles. The two artists lived and worked together at the Yellow House, but their differing temperaments clashed, and the friendship soon soured. Gaugin’s arrogance and domineering personality unsettled van Gogh, fostering a deep sense of inadequacy and a fear of abandonment.

Things came to a head on December 23. Gaugin would later claim that van Gogh attacked him with a knife. But what is certain is that van Gogh violently turned the knife on himself, cutting off his left earlobe . He wrapped the bloody ear in paper and delivered it to a woman at a local brothel, before passing out in his room. When he was discovered the next day, he had no memory of his self-mutilation, likely a sign of a complete psychotic breakdown. Gaugin quickly fled Arles, and the two men never saw each other again. Van Gogh later captured the aftermath of the event in a series of self-portraits with his bandaged ear.

Van Gogh spent the next several months in and out of hospitals, as his condition worsened. Many of the residents of Arles turned on him. Some referred to him as "le fou roux" (the redheaded madman), and dozens signed a petition demanding he be forced to leave the town.

READ MORE: How Vincent van Gogh’s Tumultuous Friendship with Paul Gauguin Drove Him to Cut Off His Ear

Van Gogh checked himself into an asylum

In May 1889, van Gogh voluntarily entered the Saint-Paul asylum in nearby Saint-Rémy. More than a century after his death, scientists and historians continue to debate the cause of his mental instability. The most widely-accepted diagnosis is bipolar disorder, given his “manic” outbursts of energy and creativity followed by long, debilitating depressions. Félix Ray, van Gogh’s doctor in Arles, diagnosed him with epilepsy, though that has been dismissed by many modern scholars, as has an alternate theory that he suffered from advanced porphyria.

Van Gogh was initially allowed to work outside the asylum under supervision, and his condition briefly improved, before worsening. Unable to visit his beloved landscapes, he was reduced to painting from memory or depicting his immediate surroundings. Despite these limitations, he produced notable works during this period, including the legendary “The Starry Night,” which shows the view from his asylum window.

Feeling lonely and isolated, van Gogh committed suicide

Increasingly discouraged and fatalistic about his chances of recovery while in Saint-Rémy, van Gogh discharged himself in May 1890. Eager to be closer to Theo, and desperate for a new beginning, he moved north. He settled in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, taking a room at the Auberge Ravoux. He also began seeing Dr. Paul Gachet, who had previously treated Camille Pisarro, Auguste Renoir and others. Gachet, who specialized in nervous disorders and natural medicine, was an amateur artist himself, and Theo hoped that his sensitive nature would be beneficial to Vincent. In the century since, many have criticized Gachet’s unconventional treatment of van Gogh, but the two men quickly developed a close bond.

Van Gogh’s output during his 10 weeks in Auvers was astounding. He may have completed 70 works in as many days, as he was once again inspired by his new environment. But much of his work from this final period is also wild and dramatic, as the brilliant intensity — and instability — within poured out on his canvases. One of his final paintings, “Wheatfield With Crows,” depicts an isolated, windswept field and a flock of crows — birds are often used to depict death and rebirth.

Van Gogh wrote openly to Theo and others of his loneliness and isolation, although he also expressed hope for both a mental recovery and artistic and financial success. His work was increasingly being shown in Paris and elsewhere around Europe, as his reputation slowly grew. But he also ignored much of Dr. Gachet’s advice, continuing to incessantly smoke and drink. His mood worsened when he learned that Theo, already under duress due to his financial support of his brother, had suffered a setback at his job.

Historians do not know if there was a final impetus for van Gogh’s suicide, but on July 27, he likely walked to a nearby field or barn and shot himself. The bullet missed his vital organs but lodged so deeply in his body doctors were unable to remove it. Van Gogh was able to walk to the Auberge Ravoux, where an innkeeper found him. Dr. Gachet and others were summoned. Theo soon arrived and was with van Gogh when he died from an infection on July 29.

Theo never recovered his brother’s death and died just months later. His body was later reinterred beside his beloved brother in the municipal cemetery at Auvers. In the decades after the brothers’ deaths, it was Theo’s widow, Johanna, who worked tirelessly to posthumously promote van Gogh’s work, eventually helping to make him one of the most famous and well-respected painters in history.

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Biography of Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh received a fragmentary education: one year at the village school in Zundert, two years at a boarding school in Zevenbergen, and eighteen months at a high school in Tilburg. At sixteen he began working at the Hague gallery of the French art dealers Goupil et Cie., in which his uncle Vincent was a partner. His brother Theo, who was born 1 May 1857, later worked for the same firm. In 1873 Goupil's transferred Vincent to London, and two years later they moved him to Paris, where he lost all ambition to become an art dealer. Instead, he immersed himself in religion, threw out his modern, worldly book, and became "daffy with piety", in the words of his sister Elisabeth. He took little interest in his work, and was dismissed from his job at the beginning of 1876.

Van Gogh then took a post as an assistant teacher in England, but, disappointed by the lack of prospects, returned to Holland at the end of the year. He now decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a clergyman. Although disturbed by his fanaticism and odd behavior, his parents agreed to pay for the private lessons he would need to gain admission to the university. This proved to be another false start. Van Gogh abandoned the lessons, and after brief training as an evangelist went to the Borinage coal-mining region in the south of Belgium. His ministry among the miners led him to identify deeply with the workers and their families. In 1897, however, his appointment was not renewed, and his parents despaired, regarding him as a social misfit. In an unguarded moment, his father even spoke of committing him to a mental asylum.

Vincent, too, was at his wits' end, and after a long period of solitary soul-searching in the Borinage he decided to follow Theo's advice and become an artist. His earlier desire to help his fellowman was an evangelist gradually developed into an urge, as he later wrote, to leave mankind "some memento in the form of drawings of paintings - not made to please any particular movement, but to express a sincere human feeling."

His parents could not go along with this latest change of course, and financial responsibility for Vincent passed to his brother Theo, who was now working in the Paris gallery of Boussod, Valadon et Cie., the successor to Goupil's. It was because of Theo's loyal support that Van Gogh later came to regard his oeuvre as the fruits of his brother's efforts on his behalf. A lengthy correspondence between the two brothers (which began in August 1872) would continue until the last days of Vincent's life.

When Van Gogh decided to become an artist, no one, not even himself, suspected that he had extraordinary gifts. His evolution from an inept but impassioned novice into a truly original master was remarkably rapid. He eventually proved to have an exceptional feel for bold, harmonious color effects, and an infallible instinct for choosing simple but memorable compositions.

In order to prepare for his new career, Van Gogh went to Brussels to study at the academy, but left after only nine months. There he got to know Anthon van Rappard, who was to be his most important artist friend during his Dutch period.

In April 1881, Van Gogh went to live with his parents in Etten in North Brabant, where he set himself the task of learning how to draw. He experimented endlessly with all sorts of drawing materials, and concentrated on mastering technical aspects of his craft like perspective, anatomy, and physiognomy. Most of his subjects were taken from peasant life.

At the end of 1881 he moved to The Hague, and there, too, he concentrated mainly on drawing. At first he took lessons from Anton Mauve, his cousin by marriage, but the two soon fell out, partly because Mauve was scandalized by Vincent's relationship with Sien Hoornik, a pregnant prostitute who already had an illegitimate child. Van Gogh made a few paintings while in The Hague , but drawing was his main passion. In order to achieve his ambition of becoming a figure painter, he drew from the live model whenever he could.

In September 1883 he decided to break off the relationship with Sien and follow in the footsteps of artists like Van Rappard and Mauve by trying his luck in the picturesque eastern province of Drenthe, which was fairly inaccessible in those days. After three months, however, a lack of both drawing materials and models forced him to leave. He decided once again to move in with his parents, who were now living in the North Brabant village of Nuenen, near Eindhoven.

In Nuenen, Van Gogh first began painting regularly, modeling himself chiefly on the French painter Jean-Francois Millet (1814 - 1875), who was famous throughout Europe for his scenes of the harsh life of peasants. Van Gogh set to work with an iron will, depicting the life of the villagers and humble workers. he made numerous scenes of weavers. In May 1884, he moved into rooms he had rented from the sacristan of local Catholic church, one of which he used as his studio.

At the end of 1884 he began painting and drawing a major series of heads and work-roughened peasant hands in preparation for a large and complex figure piece that he was planning. In April 1885 this period of study came to fruition in the masterpiece of his Dutch period, The Potato Eaters

In the summer of that year, he made a large number of drawings of the peasants working in the fields. The supply of models dried up, however, when the local priest forbade his parishioners to pose for the vicar's son. He turned to painting landscape instead, inspired in part by a visit to recently opened Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

I feel - a failure. That's it as far as I'm concerned - I feel that this is the destiny that I accept, that will never change. ”

He nevertheless continued working hard during his two months in Auvers, producing dozens of paintings and drawings. On 27 July 1890, Vincent van Gogh was shot in the stomach, and passed away in the early morning of 29 July 1890 in his room at the Auberge Ravoux in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise. Although official history maintains that Van Gogh committed suicide, the latest research reveals that Van Gogh's death might be caused by an accident.

Theo, who had stored the bulk of Vincent's work in Paris, died six months later. His widow, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (1862 - 1925), returned to Holland with the collection, and dedicated herself to getting her brother-in-law the recognition he deserved. In 1914, with his fame assured, she published Vincent van Gogh's letters between the two brothers.

The Starry Night

Café terrace at night, vincent van gogh's letters, van gogh self portrait, the starry night over the rhone, wheatfield with crows, the night cafe, the potato eaters, the yellow house, almond blossom, the church at auvers, at eternity's gate by vincent van gogh, portrait of dr. gachet, portrait of the postman joseph roulin by vincent van gogh, self portrait with bandaged ear.