Vincent van Gogh

Early Life

Vincent Willem van Gogh was a 19th century post-impressionist Dutch painter born on March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands, and raised in a religiously devout family, the eldest of six children. His mother, Anna Carbentus van Gogh was a homemaker and an amateur artist who encouraged Vincent to draw, and instilled in him a love for art and nature at an early age.

As a child, Vincent was reclusive, moody and showed signs of mental instability. Early in life, Vincent worked many different jobs, including an attempt at becoming a pastor like his father, the Reverend Theodorus van Gogh, a Protestant minister.

Discovering His Purpose

In 1880, after being dismissed as a missionary by the Church for his overzealousness, Vincent at age 27 decided to give up his religious aspirations and take up art in earnest after his younger brother Theo van Gogh's suggestion. Vincent was convinced that his true vocation in life was to serve God as an artist and was impelled by a longing to bring consolation to humanity through the arts.

Vincent attended The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels under advisement from Dutch artist, Willem Roelofs. Theo, who worked as a successful Dutch art dealer financially supported his older brother Vincent's artistic ambitions. They maintained a lifelong friendship through a series of letters that have a "diary-like intimacy" revealing Vincent's thoughts and feelings about art and life.

The Artist's Journey

Vincent moved often throughout Europe. He lived in poverty, neglected his health and ate poorly. Bread, coffee and tobacco became his staple diet, and he drank heavily. He often became sick and rundown from overwork and lack of sleep. He had smokers cough and lost multiple teeth. He struggled with mental illnesses and had contracted venereal diseases from visiting brothels.

In 1882, Vincent lived with an alcoholic prostitute named Clasina Maria “Sien” Hoornik and her young daughter, during which time he created numerous artworks of Sien reflecting the harsh realities of life, including the now famous "Sorrow" drawing. Vincent abandoned the relationship after his family found out, bringing shame and disapproval. He was pressured to leave her, with his father Theodorus threatening to place him into an asylum.

In 1886, Vincent shared an apartment with his brother Theo in Montmartre, Paris. He took lessons in Fernand Cormon's studio and met other artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Vincent now adopted a brighter palette and often used the color yellow in his paintings for his love of nature and of the sun as a powerful force of love and light, and he created a series of well known and well-loved, large golden sunflower paintings.

For Vincent, the vibrant colors and natural beauty of the sunflower was a symbol of optimism and hope, offering him solace especially when he felt troubled. Painting was the best remedy for his melancholy, as Vincent said, "Art is to console those who are broken by life."

"Art is to console those who are broken by life." -Vincent van Gogh

The Yellow House

In 1888, Vincent lived briefly with fellow artist Paul Gauguin in a place called the Yellow House in Arles, France that Vincent pictured as an artists' collective with Paul being the first of many invites. The collaborative arrangement didn't last as it was fraught with conflicts that culminated in a notable incident in which Vincent threatened Paul with a razor, but he would end up slicing off part of his own left ear and delivered it to a maid working at a nearby brothel that Vincent and Paul both frequented.

Paul fled Arles never to see Vincent again, with Vincent's dream of a shared artists' community come to an end. This led to a period of several hospital stays due to psychosis, including the Saint-Paul asylum where Vincent produced some of his most iconic works such as "The Starry Night" painting.

On July 29, 1890, Vincent passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 37 after suffering from another bout of depression, just as he was starting to gain some praise for his work. His brother Theo passed away six months later from the grief and stress of losing Vincent.

His Legacy

Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, a Dutchwoman in her 20's who was Vincent's sister-in-law and widow to her late husband Theo, devoted her life to championing for Vincent's glory. Jo played a key role in promoting Vincent's art and his letters to Theo, leading to the growth of his posthumous legend and compelling mystique, not just as an artist, but also as a human being. As American author Steven Naifeh puts it, "without Jo there would have been no Van Gogh."

Vincent never achieved financial success in his life. He reportedly only sold one painting during his career and didn’t live to see the recognition of his unorthodox talent. Today, however, Vincent is regarded as the greatest Dutch painter and is widely considered one of the most famous artists in history.

Vincent's enduring legacy resulted in the construction of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 1973. His beautiful style of painting, dramatic brushwork and wonderful use of colors have revolutionized modern art and are some of the world's most expensive masterpieces having sold for millions at auctions.

The Lessons

Vincent was a tormented soul, but still became a prolific artist producing over 2,100 artworks in a short ten-year career despite much heartbreak, and he didn't succeed alone. It teaches us that we can overcome adversities with perseverance and accomplish great things, and the importance of support in achieving success, as Vincent said in writing to Theo, "I long so much to make beautiful things. But beautiful things require effort, and disappointment and perseverance."

Like many creatives‘, Vincent was highly sensitive and expressed his intense emotional depth through art, resonating deeply with people. He said, "I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.'" Vincent had this amazing ability to translate his pain and emotional suffering into his art. He was able to use bold brushwork and intense colors to really capture his intensity of feeling, using paint to express his emotions, which is the essence of expressionism.

"I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.'" -Vincent van Gogh

Vincent is widely considered a significant precursor and a key influence of expressionism, with some viewing him as the grandfather of the movement. It's one of the gifts Vincent gave humanity and teaches us the importance of expressing ourselves through art.

His Calling

For Vincent, art was not just his career. He saw his art journey as his calling in life and had deep spiritual meaning. Art was a way to connect with the human spirit, an outlet to express his rich inner world and communicate deeply personal experiences with others. Vincent said, "Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck. Your profession is what you're put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling."

Vincent believed art could express spiritual truths, connect with the unseen, and offer comfort and hope to those who were suffering. He saw his work as leading people towards God, believing artists could reveal the divine through their creations.

His Impact

Vincent is often mythologized as the quintessential "tortured artist." The long-suffering starving artistic genius, working unappreciated in isolation. The misfit and outcast, rejected by society, labeled by local townspeople as "the redheaded madman," who struggled for his art and died young. This tragedy has come to define the modern concept of the artist.

Vincent's tale has been dramatized in books, poems, music and films, and has profoundly impacted popular culture. His iconic paintings have become instantly recognizable symbols appearing on ads and consumer products. Vincent van Gogh could've never imagined that he would become such an immense inspiration for generations of artists who followed.

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