The Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) stands as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. While his paintings are now among the most valuable in the world, his style was considered peculiar and incomprehensible in his own time.
He lived in poverty and solitude, supported by his brother Theo, an art dealer who tried to sell Van Gogh’s works without success. Throughout his life he sold only one painting, “The Red Vineyard”, to Belgian painter Anna Boch for 400 francs. It is believed that, on some occasions, he would have traded some of his paintings for plates of food and painting materials.
Biographical Summary
Van Gogh was the son of a Protestant pastor. Much of his early education was received at home. Since childhood he demonstrated artistic gifts and was encouraged by his mother to draw.
When he was sent to the village school — and later to a boarding school —, he could not adapt, writing later that those were the unhappiest years of his life. Despite this, he learned English, French and German.
In his youth, he abandoned his studies to work as an art dealer, however, he also could not adapt. At 24 years old, he decided to become an evangelist and studied theology in Amsterdam, but abandoned the course to work as a missionary in the coal mines of Borinage, in Belgium.
However, his unusual behavior displeased his superiors: he distributed his belongings to the poor, gave his room to a homeless and slept in shacks. He ended up being dismissed. His father was so frustrated that wanted to commit him to an asylum.
At 27 years old, he decided to pursue an artistic life. During ten years, he produced about 800 paintings and hundreds of drawings. His great supporter was his brother Theo, his only and true friend, with whom he exchanged hundreds of letters.
Later, these correspondences — containing drawings and ideas —, would be valuable sources of information about the life and work of the Dutch painter. The large quantity of letters is not an exaggeration; the habit of writing many letters was common before the telephone.
Van Gogh had psychotic episodes, was paranoid and obsessive. Even though he tried to maintain relationships of love and friendship, his behavior drove people away. His brief friendship with painter Paul Gauguin is an example of this: when the two argued, Van Gogh cut off his own ear.
Frequently, he did not remember these crises. His mental health was aggravated by his unhealthy lifestyle: he ate and slept little, drank and smoked a lot. He alternated between good humor and depression.
He preferred to paint landscapes and country life, where he felt calmer. However, due to his unstable personality, he accumulated conflicts among the peasants, who considered him crazy and dangerous.
He voluntarily admitted himself to the Saint-Paul de Mausole asylum, in Saint-Rémy, where he painted his last self-portrait and The Starry Night. His last works used vivid colors and demonstrated concern with movement, expressed through undulations, and already represented the maturation of the emotive style that would mark 20th century art.
This vibrant style differed from his first works, characterized by dark and earthy colors.
In July 1890, Van Gogh shot himself in the abdomen. He had been working in the field and managed to walk back; he was treated by local doctors, who were unable to operate on him.
The suicide version is controversial. For many, Vincent was accidentally hit by two known young men from the region, but said he shot himself to protect them. This thesis was defended in the films At Eternity’s Gate and Loving Vincent, two beautiful films about the artist’s life.
He died two days later in Theo’s arms. Six months later, Theo also died, as his fragile health deteriorated after losing his brother, being buried next to Van Gogh.
Van Gogh: art as emotion
Van Gogh is an example of a misunderstood tragic genius. He painted compulsively driven by an intense and uncontrollable flame. His brushstrokes were spontaneous and vigorous, making some paintings seem made with clay. His style denied academic impositions and expressed the need to externalize emotions.
At that time, impressionism was the most widespread style: the artist should record his first impression of nature, still suggesting a method to be followed.
Van Gogh was the opposite of this. He made use of colors in an abstract way, not guided by the observed image, but by how he felt reality. His enormous production suggests the need to always be painting and drawing interior perceptions, not caring about the artistic currents of his time.
In the future, art critics would classify Van Gogh as post-impressionist, a movement contrary to traditional academies. His contribution was to rescue emotion as a fundamental source of inspiration and creation, influencing all 20th century art.
Vincent van Gogh: 1,300 images to view and download
- Saint-Rémy (1889-90) – 103 images
- Arles (1888-89) – 112 images
- Paris (1886-88) – 100 images
- Antuérpia (1885-86) – 7 images
- Nuenen (1883-85) – 86 images
- Primeiros quadros (1881-83) – 35 images
- Aquarelas – 96 images
- Desenhos – 617 images
- Esboços em cartas – 129 images
- Trabalhos da juventude – 31 images
Starry Starry Night (1971): tribute to Vincent van Gogh
Author: Alfredo Carneiro – Philosophy graduate with postgraduate studies in Philosophy and Existence.