Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
ARTISTIC GENIUS, TORTURED SOUL
More than 100 years after his death, Vincent van Gogh remains one of the most recognized and revered artists in the world. His signature style—a fusion of brilliant color applied with heavy, concentrated brush strokes—speaks not only to his artistic sensibilities but also reflects the intensity of his disposition and temperament.
Born in 1853 in Holland, van Gogh’s story is mired in tragedy and despair. He struggled with mental illness throughout his life and failed at several careers early on, including occupations as an art dealer and clergyman. Ultimately, he turned to art as a means to express his views about the world around him, although his genius was not recognized until after his death.
Sunflowers were a key source of inspiration for van Gogh, who rendered them with vibrant intensity.
Van Gogh’s early work was generally conformist, but his travels and associations with various artists, particularly Paul Gauguin, contributed to the evolution of his craft. He had dreams of creating an artists’ colony with Gauguin; however, an argument between the two resulted in van Gogh’s infamous severing of his own ear—an incident that also marked the onset of his complete mental demise. Although the troubled artist continued to paint over the next two years, his battle with mental illness proved unbearable, and he committed suicide in 1890; he was 37 years old. One can’t help but ponder what additional masterpieces van Gogh might have produced had he lived to realize his full potential. —RJR
Notable works: Café Terrace at Night, 1888; The Bedroom, 1889; The Starry Night, 1889 (page 132).
FUN FACT
Vincent van Gogh shared a close relationship with his brother Theo, a successful art dealer. It was through Theo’s ongoing and generous financial support that Vincent was able to spend most of his adult life pursuing art.