Vincent Van Gogh: A Tragic Story Indeed

Vincent Van Gogh.

That is a name that seems to be in art museums a great deal these days, but who exactly was he?

Vincent’s story is not one of joy or happiness. Throughout his lifetime, he had troubles with finances, he had familial issues, and he had issues in his romantic pursuits. But, instead of letting himself be crushed under the weight of his troubles, he took a stand and created beautiful paintings out of it.

Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born on March 30, of 1853 in the Netherlands. Van Gogh was the oldest of his three sisters and two brothers. The names of his siblings were Theo, Anna, Elizabeth, Wilhelmien (Wil for short), and Cornelius. His Father, Theodorous Van Gogh, was a Minister of a Dutch church just like Vincent's Grandfather (Mühlberger p 7).

Vincent went to a village school for the first few years of his life, but his parents soon hired a governess. A few years later, they decided once again to change Vincent's schooling, and sent him Mr. Provily's school in a nearby town when he was eleven (2 Greenberg p 7). By thirteen, he was studying Dutch, German, French, and English, along with history, geography, botany, zoology, calligraphy, arithmetic, gymnastics, and drawing; but by March of his fifteenth year, he returned home without finishing school (Muhlberger p 7).

Finally, at sixteen, Van Gogh wanted to figure out what it would be like to live on his own. So, he left home to earn a living at an art gallery. From that point on, Van Gogh couldn't seem to keep a steady job until about 1885.

While he was working as a minister in a very poor mining district, he discovered his passion for art. Whenever he found himself feeling disheartened, he would find hope in drawing and painting the miners (Mühlberger ...

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...n to Vincent's life because of his capabilities. He was able to create art out of the pain of being treated as an insane and disgusting outcast. The ability to create something beautiful out of pain is a treasured ability that anyone can attain if they try hard enough.

Just as Van Gogh created canvases loaded with bright colors despite the fact he was considered an outcast, it is imperative that we try to have equanimity in times of trial if we desire to create beauty out of ashes.

References 1, 3, 4, 5, 6- "What makes a Van Gogh a Van Gogh?" Richard Mühlberger, pages 7, 12, and 16. Published in 2002.

References 2, 7, 8- "Vincent Van Gogh- Portrait of an Artist" Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, pages 7, 85, and 86. Published in 2001.

Reference 9 and 10- "The life of Van Gogh" Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, pages 760 and 746. Published in 2011.