Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, a village in the southern Netherlands, to Theodorus van Gogh, a Protestant minister, and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. He was named after his grandfather and a brother who had died in infancy exactly one year before his birth. This coincidence may have affected Vincent's sense of identity and belonging. Growing up in a religious household with a love of nature, Vincent developed a sensitivity and emotional intensity that would characterize both his personality and his art. His childhood was relatively comfortable, though he was often described as serious, moody, and difficult.

Through family connections, Vincent began working at Goupil & Cie, an international art dealership. He worked in their branches in The Hague, London, and Paris, gaining extensive knowledge of contemporary and classical art. Initially successful, he showed promise and dedication. However, his increasing religious fervor and disdain for the commercial art trade eventually led to conflicts with his employers. This experience, though ultimately unsatisfying to him, exposed Vincent to a wide range of art that would later influence his own work, from Dutch masters to French modernists.

Vincent was dismissed from Goupil & Cie after seven years, marking the beginning of a difficult period of searching for his calling. He took various positions as a teacher and assistant preacher in England, driven by a growing religious zeal. His father hoped he would become a minister like him, and Vincent pursued theological studies. However, his intense, unorthodox religious convictions and his tendency toward extremes made him unsuitable for conventional religious work. These experiences of failure and rejection deepened his empathy for the poor and suffering, themes that would later emerge in his art.

At age 27, after failing as an art dealer, teacher, and lay preacher, Vincent made the life-changing decision to become an artist. He had always drawn, but now he committed himself completely to art as his vocation and means of expressing his compassion for humanity. His brother Theo, an art dealer, agreed to support him financially—an arrangement that would continue for the rest of Vincent's life and prove crucial to his artistic development. Vincent began studying anatomy, perspective, and copying works by Jean-François Millet, whose depictions of peasant life deeply moved him. This late start meant Vincent had only ten years to create his entire artistic legacy.

Vincent moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo, who was managing the Montmartre branch of Goupil & Cie (now Boussod, Valadon & Cie). Paris transformed Vincent's art. He discovered Impressionism, met painters like Toulouse-Lautrec, Émile Bernard, and Paul Signac, and studied Japanese prints, which fascinated him. His palette lightened dramatically from the dark, earthy tones of his Dutch period to bright, vibrant colors. He experimented with Pointillism and developed the bold, expressive brushwork that would characterize his mature style. However, the city's pace and his difficult personality led to conflicts, and his health began to suffer.

Seeking brighter light, warmer weather, and escape from Paris's intensity, Vincent moved to Arles in Provence. This period would prove the most productive of his career. Inspired by the southern French landscape, he created some of his most famous works including The Yellow House, Bedroom in Arles, Sunflowers, and Night Café. He dreamed of establishing an artist colony and convinced Paul Gauguin to join him. Vincent produced nearly 200 paintings in just 15 months. However, the isolation, intense work habits, poor diet, heavy drinking, and his mental instability were taking their toll, setting the stage for a crisis that would change his life.

After a confrontation with Paul Gauguin, who had been staying with him, Vincent suffered a severe mental breakdown. In a disturbed state, he severed part of his left ear with a razor. He wrapped the ear in newspaper and gave it to a woman at a local brothel before returning home, where he was later found by police. Gauguin left Arles immediately and never saw Vincent again. Vincent was hospitalized and began experiencing a series of mental health crises characterized by hallucinations and psychotic episodes. This incident marked the beginning of a pattern of breakdowns and hospitalization that would characterize his remaining years, though he continued to paint during his lucid periods.

After repeated breakdowns and at his own request, Vincent entered the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He was given a small studio and allowed to paint. Despite his mental anguish, this period was remarkably productive. He created about 150 paintings, including The Starry Night, Irises, and self-portraits. His style became more dramatic and expressive, with swirling, energetic brushstrokes that conveyed intense emotion. The asylum's garden, the view from his window, and the surrounding countryside provided subjects. He also painted copies of works by artists he admired. Though he suffered episodes of psychosis, his artistic vision remained clear during his stable periods.

Vincent left the asylum and moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, to be under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet, a physician who treated artists and was an amateur painter himself. This final period saw an astonishing burst of creativity—Vincent produced about 80 paintings in just 70 days, including portraits of Dr. Gachet, wheatfields, and the Church at Auvers. His work grew increasingly expressive and emotional. Despite this productivity, he remained deeply troubled. Financial concerns about being a burden to Theo, ongoing mental health struggles, and uncertainty about his artistic worth all weighed heavily on him.

On July 27, 1890, Vincent walked into a wheat field and shot himself in the chest with a revolver. He managed to walk back to his lodgings, where he was found by his landlord. Theo rushed to be with him. Vincent died two days later, on July 29, with Theo at his bedside. His last words were reportedly, 'The sadness will last forever.' Theo, devastated by his brother's death and suffering from health problems of his own, died just six months later and was eventually buried beside Vincent. During his lifetime, Vincent sold only one painting and died believing himself a failure. Yet he left behind over 2,000 artworks, including about 900 paintings created in just ten years. His passionate, expressive style and emotional intensity would profoundly influence Expressionism and modern art. Today, he is recognized as one of history's greatest and most influential artists, and his works are among the most valuable and beloved in the world.