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On July 29, 1890, Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter, died two days after having shot himself at the age of 37. From the article:
"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.
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."
"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.
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."
The Final Years of Vincent van Gogh
Posted from biography.com
Art
Fine Art
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World History
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Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on July 29, 1890, Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh who died two days after having shot himself at the age of 37.
He was amazingly talented and like far too many artists his talent was not realized until after he died by his own hand at age 37.
Rest in peace Vincent Willem van Gogh.
The Power of Art - Van Gogh ( Documentary )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61bVzrPzozI
Images:
1. Vincent van Gogh – The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night, 1888 (left) – Still Life Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, 1888 (right).
2. Vincent van Gogh: The Starry Night, oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, 1889; in the Museum of Modern Art, New York City
3. Vincent van Gogh – Two self-portraits with bandaged ear made in 1889
4. Vincent van Gogh – The Yellow House, 1888
Biographies
1. notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/van-Gogh-Vincent.html
2. vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html
1. Background from {[https://www.notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/van-Gogh-Vincent.html]}
Born: March 30, 1853
Groot-Zundert, Holland
Died: July 29, 1890
Auvers, France
Dutch painter
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter whose formal distortions and humanistic concerns made him a major pioneer of twentieth-century expressionism, an artistic movement that emphasized expression of the artist's experience.
Childhood
The painter was born on March 30, 1853, in a small town Groot-Zundert, Netherlands. His father, Theodorus van Gogh, was employed as a minister, while Vincent’s mother, Anna Cornelia Carbentus, was an artist. As only fate is capable of writing such stories, exactly a year before young Vincent was born, Anna had a stillbirth and that baby was supposed to be named Vincent. That was a first clue of how morbid and dark Van Gogh’s life will turn out to be, as his name and birthday were already carved on a headstone inside of a local cemetery. Quite a melancholic way to start a life. Both parents had a huge influence on their son. Vincent Van Gogh wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and be a minister one day, while his mother’s teachings and love of nature, drawing and watercolors found a place in his heart as well.
Early Life
In a time when Vincent was about the age of fifteen, the van Goghs were struggling financially and the father decided against his son’s wishes that he is to leave school without graduating and start providing for his family. Luckily for Van Gogh, his mother’s ties to the artistic scene presented him with an opportunity to work in his uncle’s art dealership, Goupil & Cie. This was a firm of art dealers and enthusiasts in Hague, so logically that meant Vincent was about to go away from Groot-Zundert for the first time in his life. In June of 1873, he was transferred to the Groupil Gallery in London. It was here Vincent met and fell in love with Eugenie Loyer, his landlady’s daughter. Eventually, he asked her hand in marriage and she refused – this was the cause of van Gogh’s first serious mental breakdown.
The Christ of the Coal Mines
After getting rejected by the young lady he loved, Vincent threw away all his books except for the Bible. He became bitter and resentful, which logically applied to his job performance. He started talking to customers in a rude manner. It wasn’t long before he got fired. This was not a big issue for van Gogh as he had already planned to leave England and try to pass the pastor’s exam in the School of Theology in Amsterdam. When he was given a chance to do so, Vincent refused to do the part of the exam that required him to speak in Latin. He was not allowed to participate in the exam. After seeing no church will hire him, van Gogh volunteered to move to a coal mine in the south of Belgium, a place where man were usually sent as punishment. He preached and ministered to the sick and also drew pictures of the miners and their families, who called him The Christ of the Coal Mines.
Brussels And Hague
In the fall of 1880, van Gogh moved to Brussels and become a artist. Having no formal knowledge of painting, he relied upon his mother’s teachings and the experience of drawing inside Belgian mines. His brother Teo supported him financially and provided van Gogh with a place to stay while he studied books like Travaux des champs by Jean-François Millet and Cours de dessin by Charles Bargue. However, van Gogh’s life continued to deteriorate. He fell in love with his recently widowed cousin, Kate and started stalking her to a point she actually fled to another city. After going through another suffering episode, Vincent moved to The Hague and met Clasina Maria Hoornik, an alcoholic prostitute. Eventually, she broke up with van Gogh and returned to a life of prostitution.
Vincent, The Artist
Throughout the tragedies that followed him on every turn, Van Gogh’s art helped him stay emotionally balanced. In 1885, he began work on what is considered to be his first masterpiece, Potato Eaters.Although no one believed this painting will be taken seriously in Paris, Vincent decided he will still go to the French capital and try to establish himself as a contemporary artist. In March 1886, Theo welcomed his brother into his small apartment located in the middle of Paris. In this art-defining city, van Gogh first saw impressionist works and was inspired by the color and light, the vividness of it all. He began studying with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and others.
This particular van Gogh piece was sold for over 80 million dollars in 1990
The Complete Breakdown
In February 1888, van Gogh boarded a train to the south of France. He moved into the famous little yellow house, started perfecting his style and spending all his money on paint. Before long, it became apparent that in addition to suffering from physical illness, his psychological health was declining. After seeing him, Theo was worried and offered Paul Gauguin money to go watch over van Gogh in Arles. Paul accepted and one night they argued so intensely that Gauguin walked out in the middle of the night. Van Gogh followed him, holding a razor in his hand. After being unable to find Paul, van Gogh went to the local brothel and wanted a prostitute named Rachel. With blood pouring from his hand, he offered her his ear as payment. The police found him in his room the next morning and admitted him to the Hôtel-Dieuhospital.
Van Gogh loved painting the famous yellow house in which he lost his sanity
The End Of A Sad Story
On January 7, 1889, van Gogh was released from the hospital. He would paint at the yellow house during the day and return to the hospital at night. After the locals signed a petition saying that van Gogh was dangerous, he decided to move to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum. A year and a half later, van Gogh started to feel better and made a choice to move to Auvers. He was okay for a while but soon returned to his psychological state of panic and craziness. On July 27, 1890, van Gogh went out to paint in the morning as usual, but only this time he carried a loaded pistol. He shot himself in the chest and was taken to a nearby hospital and his doctors sent for Theo. They spent the next couple of days talking together before van Gogh asked Theo to take him home. On July 29, 1890, Vincent van Gogh died in the arms of his brother.
The Legacy
Van Gogh’s finest works were produced in less than three years and were done using a technique that grew more and more intense in brushstroke, in symbolic and strong color, in surface tension and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Ultimately, Vincent completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 drawings and sketches. Today, his pieces are considered to be some of the most expensive possessions in the world – but during his lifetime, van Gog managed to sell only one of his paintings. The story of van Gogh remains as one of most disturbing ones in art history, showing just how much fate loves toying with irony – arguably the most important artist of all time was cursed to live perhaps the toughest life of all the painters that ever were."
2. Background from {[ https://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html]}
Birth Year : 1853
Death Year : 1890
Country : Netherlands
Vincent van Gogh, one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland on March 30, 1853.
The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional, lacked self-confidence and struggled with his identity and with direction. He believed that his true calling was to preach the gospel; however, it took years for him to discover his calling as an artist. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had already experienced two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage (a dreary mining district in Belgium) where he was dismissed for overzealousness.
He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are somber-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is "The Potato Eaters" (1885) . In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints.
In 1886, he went to Paris to join his brother Théo, the manager of Goupil's gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin. Having met the new Impressionist painters, he tried to imitate their techniques; he began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brush strokes of the Impressionists’ style. Unable to successfully copy the style, he developed his own more bold and unconventional style. In 1888, Van Gogh decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. At The Yellow House, van Gogh hoped like-minded artists could create together. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. Van Gogh’s nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. Near the end of 1888, an incident led Gauguin to ultimately leave Arles. Van Gogh pursued him with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his own ear lobe off. Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint-Remy for treatment.
In May of 1890, after a couple of years at the asylum, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Two months later, he died from what is believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound "for the good of all." During his brief career, he did not experience much success, he sold only one painting, lived in poverty, malnourished and overworked. The money he had was supplied by his brother, Theo, and was used primarily for art supplies, coffee and cigarettes.
Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brush stroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature.
In spite of his lack of success during his lifetime, van Gogh’s legacy lives on having left a lasting impact on the world of art. Van Gogh is now viewed as one of the most influential artists having helped lay the foundations of modern art."
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He was amazingly talented and like far too many artists his talent was not realized until after he died by his own hand at age 37.
Rest in peace Vincent Willem van Gogh.
The Power of Art - Van Gogh ( Documentary )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61bVzrPzozI
Images:
1. Vincent van Gogh – The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night, 1888 (left) – Still Life Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, 1888 (right).
2. Vincent van Gogh: The Starry Night, oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, 1889; in the Museum of Modern Art, New York City
3. Vincent van Gogh – Two self-portraits with bandaged ear made in 1889
4. Vincent van Gogh – The Yellow House, 1888
Biographies
1. notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/van-Gogh-Vincent.html
2. vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html
1. Background from {[https://www.notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/van-Gogh-Vincent.html]}
Born: March 30, 1853
Groot-Zundert, Holland
Died: July 29, 1890
Auvers, France
Dutch painter
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter whose formal distortions and humanistic concerns made him a major pioneer of twentieth-century expressionism, an artistic movement that emphasized expression of the artist's experience.
Childhood
The painter was born on March 30, 1853, in a small town Groot-Zundert, Netherlands. His father, Theodorus van Gogh, was employed as a minister, while Vincent’s mother, Anna Cornelia Carbentus, was an artist. As only fate is capable of writing such stories, exactly a year before young Vincent was born, Anna had a stillbirth and that baby was supposed to be named Vincent. That was a first clue of how morbid and dark Van Gogh’s life will turn out to be, as his name and birthday were already carved on a headstone inside of a local cemetery. Quite a melancholic way to start a life. Both parents had a huge influence on their son. Vincent Van Gogh wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and be a minister one day, while his mother’s teachings and love of nature, drawing and watercolors found a place in his heart as well.
Early Life
In a time when Vincent was about the age of fifteen, the van Goghs were struggling financially and the father decided against his son’s wishes that he is to leave school without graduating and start providing for his family. Luckily for Van Gogh, his mother’s ties to the artistic scene presented him with an opportunity to work in his uncle’s art dealership, Goupil & Cie. This was a firm of art dealers and enthusiasts in Hague, so logically that meant Vincent was about to go away from Groot-Zundert for the first time in his life. In June of 1873, he was transferred to the Groupil Gallery in London. It was here Vincent met and fell in love with Eugenie Loyer, his landlady’s daughter. Eventually, he asked her hand in marriage and she refused – this was the cause of van Gogh’s first serious mental breakdown.
The Christ of the Coal Mines
After getting rejected by the young lady he loved, Vincent threw away all his books except for the Bible. He became bitter and resentful, which logically applied to his job performance. He started talking to customers in a rude manner. It wasn’t long before he got fired. This was not a big issue for van Gogh as he had already planned to leave England and try to pass the pastor’s exam in the School of Theology in Amsterdam. When he was given a chance to do so, Vincent refused to do the part of the exam that required him to speak in Latin. He was not allowed to participate in the exam. After seeing no church will hire him, van Gogh volunteered to move to a coal mine in the south of Belgium, a place where man were usually sent as punishment. He preached and ministered to the sick and also drew pictures of the miners and their families, who called him The Christ of the Coal Mines.
Brussels And Hague
In the fall of 1880, van Gogh moved to Brussels and become a artist. Having no formal knowledge of painting, he relied upon his mother’s teachings and the experience of drawing inside Belgian mines. His brother Teo supported him financially and provided van Gogh with a place to stay while he studied books like Travaux des champs by Jean-François Millet and Cours de dessin by Charles Bargue. However, van Gogh’s life continued to deteriorate. He fell in love with his recently widowed cousin, Kate and started stalking her to a point she actually fled to another city. After going through another suffering episode, Vincent moved to The Hague and met Clasina Maria Hoornik, an alcoholic prostitute. Eventually, she broke up with van Gogh and returned to a life of prostitution.
Vincent, The Artist
Throughout the tragedies that followed him on every turn, Van Gogh’s art helped him stay emotionally balanced. In 1885, he began work on what is considered to be his first masterpiece, Potato Eaters.Although no one believed this painting will be taken seriously in Paris, Vincent decided he will still go to the French capital and try to establish himself as a contemporary artist. In March 1886, Theo welcomed his brother into his small apartment located in the middle of Paris. In this art-defining city, van Gogh first saw impressionist works and was inspired by the color and light, the vividness of it all. He began studying with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and others.
This particular van Gogh piece was sold for over 80 million dollars in 1990
The Complete Breakdown
In February 1888, van Gogh boarded a train to the south of France. He moved into the famous little yellow house, started perfecting his style and spending all his money on paint. Before long, it became apparent that in addition to suffering from physical illness, his psychological health was declining. After seeing him, Theo was worried and offered Paul Gauguin money to go watch over van Gogh in Arles. Paul accepted and one night they argued so intensely that Gauguin walked out in the middle of the night. Van Gogh followed him, holding a razor in his hand. After being unable to find Paul, van Gogh went to the local brothel and wanted a prostitute named Rachel. With blood pouring from his hand, he offered her his ear as payment. The police found him in his room the next morning and admitted him to the Hôtel-Dieuhospital.
Van Gogh loved painting the famous yellow house in which he lost his sanity
The End Of A Sad Story
On January 7, 1889, van Gogh was released from the hospital. He would paint at the yellow house during the day and return to the hospital at night. After the locals signed a petition saying that van Gogh was dangerous, he decided to move to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum. A year and a half later, van Gogh started to feel better and made a choice to move to Auvers. He was okay for a while but soon returned to his psychological state of panic and craziness. On July 27, 1890, van Gogh went out to paint in the morning as usual, but only this time he carried a loaded pistol. He shot himself in the chest and was taken to a nearby hospital and his doctors sent for Theo. They spent the next couple of days talking together before van Gogh asked Theo to take him home. On July 29, 1890, Vincent van Gogh died in the arms of his brother.
The Legacy
Van Gogh’s finest works were produced in less than three years and were done using a technique that grew more and more intense in brushstroke, in symbolic and strong color, in surface tension and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Ultimately, Vincent completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 drawings and sketches. Today, his pieces are considered to be some of the most expensive possessions in the world – but during his lifetime, van Gog managed to sell only one of his paintings. The story of van Gogh remains as one of most disturbing ones in art history, showing just how much fate loves toying with irony – arguably the most important artist of all time was cursed to live perhaps the toughest life of all the painters that ever were."
2. Background from {[ https://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html]}
Birth Year : 1853
Death Year : 1890
Country : Netherlands
Vincent van Gogh, one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland on March 30, 1853.
The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional, lacked self-confidence and struggled with his identity and with direction. He believed that his true calling was to preach the gospel; however, it took years for him to discover his calling as an artist. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had already experienced two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage (a dreary mining district in Belgium) where he was dismissed for overzealousness.
He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are somber-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is "The Potato Eaters" (1885) . In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints.
In 1886, he went to Paris to join his brother Théo, the manager of Goupil's gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin. Having met the new Impressionist painters, he tried to imitate their techniques; he began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brush strokes of the Impressionists’ style. Unable to successfully copy the style, he developed his own more bold and unconventional style. In 1888, Van Gogh decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. At The Yellow House, van Gogh hoped like-minded artists could create together. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. Van Gogh’s nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. Near the end of 1888, an incident led Gauguin to ultimately leave Arles. Van Gogh pursued him with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his own ear lobe off. Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint-Remy for treatment.
In May of 1890, after a couple of years at the asylum, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Two months later, he died from what is believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound "for the good of all." During his brief career, he did not experience much success, he sold only one painting, lived in poverty, malnourished and overworked. The money he had was supplied by his brother, Theo, and was used primarily for art supplies, coffee and cigarettes.
Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brush stroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature.
In spite of his lack of success during his lifetime, van Gogh’s legacy lives on having left a lasting impact on the world of art. Van Gogh is now viewed as one of the most influential artists having helped lay the foundations of modern art."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC (Join to see) LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Greg Henning LTC Bill Koski Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. SMSgt Lawrence McCarter MSgt Robert "Rock" Aldi MSG Andrew White MSG Felipe De Leon Brown SSG (Join to see) PO2 (Join to see) SPC Margaret Higgins Cynthia Croft Maj Kim Patterson SGT Steve McFarland PO1 H Gene LawrenceSPC Nancy GreeneSSG Robert Mark Odom
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LTC Stephen F.
Famous Vincent Van Gogh Paintings
This video features a collection of Vincent Van Gogh famous paintings. We have put together a collection of Van Gogh great masterpieces of Post-Impressionism...
Famous Vincent Van Gogh Paintings
This video features a collection of Vincent Van Gogh famous paintings. We have put together a collection of Van Gogh great masterpieces of Post-Impressionism artworks.
Called mad, eccentric, and brilliant, Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh has become one of the most iconic and famous painters since his death in 1890. A Post-Impressionist painter, Van Gogh did not even begin painting until he was in his late twenties and he died when he was only 37. In the decade in-between, however, Van Gogh managed to create an astonishing array of work. The many Van Gogh paintings include self-portraits, landscapes, and watercolor paintings. Owning a Van Gogh reproduction is a sign of a serious art lover and is an inspiring attraction in any home decor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLBDAXy8FuA
Images
1. Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), Self-Portrait With a Straw Hat and Artist's Smock, 1887
2. Vincent Van Gogh - Still Life Vase With Twelve Sunflowers
3. Vincent van Gogh 'Sunflowers' oil on canvas painted in 1888
4. Vincent van Gogh 'Starry Night Over the Rhône ' 1888
FYI SSG Robert "Rob" WentworthCapt Rich BuckleyMSG (Join to see)CWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SFC (Join to see)CWO3 (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Sgt Kelli Mays SGT Philip RoncariSFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Col Carl Whicker SPC Margaret HigginsSPC Russ Bolton1stsgt Glenn Brackin SGT Robert PryorGySgt Thomas VickMAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D.PO1 Robert George SGT Gregory Lawritson
This video features a collection of Vincent Van Gogh famous paintings. We have put together a collection of Van Gogh great masterpieces of Post-Impressionism artworks.
Called mad, eccentric, and brilliant, Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh has become one of the most iconic and famous painters since his death in 1890. A Post-Impressionist painter, Van Gogh did not even begin painting until he was in his late twenties and he died when he was only 37. In the decade in-between, however, Van Gogh managed to create an astonishing array of work. The many Van Gogh paintings include self-portraits, landscapes, and watercolor paintings. Owning a Van Gogh reproduction is a sign of a serious art lover and is an inspiring attraction in any home decor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLBDAXy8FuA
Images
1. Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), Self-Portrait With a Straw Hat and Artist's Smock, 1887
2. Vincent Van Gogh - Still Life Vase With Twelve Sunflowers
3. Vincent van Gogh 'Sunflowers' oil on canvas painted in 1888
4. Vincent van Gogh 'Starry Night Over the Rhône ' 1888
FYI SSG Robert "Rob" WentworthCapt Rich BuckleyMSG (Join to see)CWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SFC (Join to see)CWO3 (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Sgt Kelli Mays SGT Philip RoncariSFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Col Carl Whicker SPC Margaret HigginsSPC Russ Bolton1stsgt Glenn Brackin SGT Robert PryorGySgt Thomas VickMAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D.PO1 Robert George SGT Gregory Lawritson
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GySgt Thomas Vick
Van Gogh was a great artist, but I would rather stay with what God puts on this earth, I love the mountains, trees, and wildlife, I get homesick every spring and fall because of the colors that I miss now that I live in the desert, but the desert has it's beauty too.
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SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D
Just imagine if he lived another 37 years. Can only try to imagine what his paintings would have been like with all of the problems he had during his lifetime and how those surrmountable problems would have been reflected in his artwork.
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